


At Midnight

by Lie17



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cinderella Elements, Everyone’s Altean, Godfather Coran, Guess who it is I dare you, Lotor is a Creep, Male Cinderella, Multi, Slow Build, Slow Burn, You Have Been Warned, kallura, lotor is a jerk, shance, the slowest of burns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-05-04 04:39:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14585148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lie17/pseuds/Lie17
Summary: Prince Lance is just a normal Altean prince trying to live his life without making a fool of himself like he always does. Shiro is the new stable hand at the palace hoping to leave his past behind him and move on. Princess Allura just wants people to leave her and her mice alone and become the queen the kingdom needs. Keith is just a guard who is assigned to Princess Allura who, in his opinion, is better than working with Prince Lance. When news spreads around the kingdom that the Prince and his sister have to marry by the end of the year or else they risk letting their kingdom fall into the hands of Lord Zarkon and his family. Will Lance get the happily ever after he deserves? Will love ever bloom in these circumstances or will Zarkon and Lotor win it all?Read and find out.





	1. Prologue: Once Upon A Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Voltron Fandom! 
> 
> I have been wanting to write a Shance story for the longest time and I couldn't find something to do with it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Klance story but Shance really moves me a lot. I don't know why. This fic is based on another fic I read over ten years ago when I was in middle school. I had asked the author for permission to make a fanfic based on her idea. I'm glad she told me yes and that I'm getting around to do it. The original fic has been deleted off the website it was on, unfortunately, but it's okay because I can be creative with this. This fic is also unbeta'd so bear with me please. Thank you for reading and I hope you stick with me on this new journey!
> 
> Enjoy!

Once upon a time, as all stories go, there was the kingdom of Altea. It was a peaceful kingdom, full of happiness and prosperity. When the king was only a prince, his marriage was arranged to a princess of a minor kingdom. At first Alfor had been against it, he didn’t want to be stuck in a loveless marriage like his parents and grandparents were. He wanted something different for himself, but his father was stern and forced Alfor to go along with it. It was on his wedding day that he met Ilia. Instantly, the pair was taken with one another and after spending time getting to know each other, they fell in love. King Alfor loved his wife with all of his heart and his queen loved him back with all of her being. The people loved the new king and the new queen; they were a very beautiful couple full of love the people could see. Eventually, Ilia gave Alfor two children: Princess Allura and Prince Lance. 

Princess Allura was the eldest and the most beautiful young lady the kingdom had beheld. She inherited her father’s looks and talents. No one was surprised when Alfor named her his heir. She was going to be the perfect Queen that Altea needed. She was perfectly poised in public and no one ever had anything bad to say about Princess Allura. She was graceful, with her flowing long white hair, cerulean eyes with lilac toward the center of them. Her marks under her eyes were a light pink. Of course, even if she was perfect in many aspects, she also did have her quirks like keeping pet mice that she absolutely adored and having a hard side to her, which was very similar to her father's. But everyone overlooked those sides of their princess. 

Prince Lance was different to say the least. Firstly, he inherited his mother’s looks with his brown hair and sapphire eyes with periwinkle in the center. His marks under his eyes were deep blue. He was known in public as the overconfident younger brother of Princess Allura, when in reality he was the anxious one who preferred to stay inside than be out in the public eye making a fool of himself. Everyone knew Prince Lance’s epic stories of how he couldn’t ride a horse or that one time he single handedly destroyed annual flower festival Altea held when he was twelve. Though he knew his family and the staff loved him, he couldn’t help but feel he was lacking something his family seemed to have. 

The only major scandal that Princess Allura had was when she turned nineteen and had yet to take a spouse. Tongues were wagging all over the kingdom speculating that there had to be something wrong with the princess for her not to be married. Prince Lance was understandable. He had just barely turned eighteen and he was such a wreck as a prince. No one was surprised that no man or woman had ever thought about taking him to be their husband. But who would ever reject their beloved Princess Allura? Everyone had figured she would have been married and expecting her first child by now. It was so shocking when that wasn’t happening. Though, not many men could probably handle the mouse thing. Yet other than that, she was choice above all others in the people’s opinion. 

Regardless of some of the things the people had opinions about them; Princess Allura and Prince Lance were very close. Lance and Allura didn’t envy each other, or get upset when rumors would begin circulating about them. They didn’t care because they loved each other and they knew that their parents loved them as well. Honestly, that was what the siblings needed. When Lance had his worst anxiety attacks, knowing that his family loved him and were proud of the things he had accomplished over the years helped him greatly. As long as their children were happy, Alfor and Ilia were happy. Every other kingdom knew that King Alfor and his family were the most ideal family throughout the land. It seemed like there was nothing that could devastate the strong force that they were. 

Until the one day that things changed.


	2. Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I want to thank you all for the support you all have given my fic. I know that you all are waiting for the next chapter so here it is! I don't want to waste anymore time so here you go.

The servants skirted away from King Alfor as he headed out of the throne room and into the family quarters. Everyone could tell that the king was in a sour mood. But, after hearing about who was in the throne room just mere minutes ago, could they blame him? Not when Zarkon was involved. Some of the servants saw Zarkon and his son Lotor leaving the palace looking quite satisfied with themselves. Everyone was on edge with what they had seen. They were concerned about what could have happened in the throne room to make the king so upset as he was. The royal cook, Hunk and his girlfriend, the royal dressmaker, Shay were worried. As were Matt and his sister, Pidge.

In the family's quarters, Ilia watched her children bicker amongst themselves. She couldn’t help but smile at their banter. Lance was currently annoying his older sister as she was trying to read. He always did that when she was reading anywhere around him. He smiled and laughed as she playfully insulted him. He went from making fun of her to her mice to making fun of her guard, Keith. Keith was the grumpiest person Lance had ever seen in his entire life. He always liked to pick on Keith just to see him get all riled up. But the moment that Alfor came in, Lance took one look at his father and stopped his ministrations and straightened up.

Ilia stood up, glancing at her husband with a vexed look on her face, “Alfor? What’s the matter?”

“Lord Zarkon has done it this time. I’m furious right now but we must remain calm, no matter what we must remain calm,” Alfor said, possibly more to himself than to anyone else.

Allura spoke this time, “Father what’s going on? What has Lord Zarkon done?”

Lance sat up from his seat. He had never seen his father so upset about something Lord Zarkon had done. As much as he didn’t want to know what the wrinkled old turtle did, he knew that he would be screwed over if he didn’t find out what happened. He glanced at his sister and mother who were anxiously waiting for his father to say something. He even looked over at Coran, who had followed his father into the room. The mustachioed man only gave him a reassuring smile, trying to convey that everything was going to be okay. When his father spoke, he couldn’t believe the words.

“I had a meeting with Lord Zarkon today who informed me that he had found a loophole in our laws. I won’t go into too much detail. To put it simply, you both have to be married at the end of the year or else Lord Zarkon can take over the kingdom,” Alfor said trying to keep his voice steady before adding, “He won’t pursue this if one of you agrees to marry his son, Lotor.”

There was silence in the room. Ilia attempted her best to keep herself together. She went to her husband and held his hands in hers and kissed his cheek. If there was anyone that could calm the king down it was his wife. It was kind of why Allura and Lance wanted to have a relationship like their parents. In their minds nothing else was as perfect as them. Now, it was going to be hard to believe that they were going to have the chance. Even though it was mid-January, neither sibling knew how they were going to pull it off and get married before the end of the year. It wasn’t going to be easy but one glance at one another and they both knew they weren’t going to take the easy way out. 

Allura broke the ice, “Father, if this means that Lance and I have to get married before the year ends then so be it. Neither of us is going to even think about marrying Lotor. If Lord Zarkon was waiting for our answers, then that’s it. We will find spouses before the time is up.”

Lance nodded and stood next to his sister. He didn’t say anything, still. Words at moments like this weren’t his strong suit. He was worried he was going to say something stupid and get his father angrier than he already was. The best he could do in a moment like this was to stand in support of what his sister had said. He peered over at Keith who had a somber demeanor. It was something that Lance couldn’t place. He picked on Keith because he noticed something was going on with the knight. He wasn’t one to judge, nor was he blind. He knew Keith had a thing for his sister. Lots of men did, his sister was beautiful and perfect in every way. That was why he picked on the knight the most, hoping that eventually Keith would tell Allura how he felt and they would live happily ever after. But now, things were different. 

Lance was too distracted in his thoughts that he almost didn’t hear the most important part. Though Allura was to marry someone of noble blood because she was the heir, Lance was free to marry whomever he thought was worthy. It was a positive thing for sure but Lance couldn’t think of anyone he would like to marry. He wanted to fall in love, like his parents did. He wanted to look in his partner’s eyes and know they loved him just as much as he loved them. He wasn’t going to be getting that now was he? As much as he didn’t want to feel sorry for himself, he couldn’t help it. 

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with himself so he asked to be excused. Alfor, understanding his son needed time to let it all sink in, nodded and let his son leave the family quarters. Lance didn’t need to be told twice, he took off. First, he went into the library but none of the books seemed to call his name. He went back into his room but this form of relaxing didn’t feel right to him. He thought about visiting one of his many friends but he was sure Hunk, Shay, Matt and Pidge were busy doing their duties. So he decided that taking a walk would be the most ideal. Thus, he began walking around the castle grounds and greeted the various servants that passed by him. 

Regardless of what the citizens said about Prince Lance, the servants loved their prince. He was always kind and sweet to them, ever since he was a small boy he would play with the children the servants' children. That was how he became great friends with Hunk, Shay, Matt and Pidge, they all played with each other as small children. They would run around and create a bunch of ruckus and mayhem. King Alfor could never bring himself to scold his son for the trouble he caused because he was so protective of his friends and took the blame for everything, saying they were his ideas when sometimes it was obviously not his fault. Thinking back to those days made Lance smile as he was wandering around. 

He didn’t notice he was at the stables until he was face to face with a horse. He jumped back, not prepared to see one in his path. He looked to his right and then to his left, wondering where it came from and why it was just standing in front of the stables. Lance knew that the horse was harmless and he wasn’t afraid of them, he just couldn’t ride for the life of him. He led the horse to the stables and couldn’t see anyone there when he entered.

“Excuse me?” He called out, “Um, I think someone forgot a horse outside? Is there a stable I can put him back in or something?”

He looked at the animal who looked back him just as confused as he was. He noticed there was a barrel full of apples so Lance took an apple and fed the horse, that was more than happy to eat what he was given. He kept asking for more apples which Lance gave wholeheartedly. He was glad he had some form of company, even if it was just a horse. Still, if Allura could have her mice, then he could have a horse he could talk to. He noticed there was a stoop and he sat down on it, letting the horse get close to him. He smiled at the stallion, wondering what the name of the animal was.

“You are very lucky, horse,” Lance said, “You don’t have to worry about crazy laws like getting married by the end of the year. Either that or marry some pompous prick like Lotor. I can hardly imagine being married to someone like him. He feels so entitled to everything, now he has his eyes set on the kingdom itself! He’s not satisfied with his lot in life that he has to try to take the kingdom away! You know, I dare him to try to take the kingdom away from my sister. Allura would be sure to let him hear it. I’m sure if she could, she would kill him. I would love to see that but, don’t tell anyone, I don’t want my reputation to be ruined.”

“May I help you?” A voice asked behind him.

Lance swore that he jumped and he couldn’t control the yelp that escaped his lips. He stood up and glanced at the horse that he was sure was laughing at his reaction. He placed his hand on his heart and inhaled deeply before turning around. He was about to say something but the words stopped in his throat. He was staring into stormy grey eyes that he swore he could get lost in for the rest of his life. His marks under his eyes were a blackberry color that Lance thought was a great color on him. His hair was black with a forelock of it pure white, it was interesting to see. The man was very handsome and his jaw line was something to envy for sure. Though he had a scar across the bridge of his nose, it didn’t take away from his handsomeness. If anything, it enhanced it. Of course currently, he looked rather worried that he scared Lance.

“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I saw you sitting here and I thought Brutus was bothering you. He likes to escape his stable and try to bother people,” The man explained.

Lance smiled back at him, “No, it’s okay! I wasn’t expecting anyone to be around and this guy was being a great buddy. He was a great listener after the day I had. Oh! I didn’t introduce myself, that’s very rude of me. The name’s Lance.”

“Lance, as in Prince Lance? Your Highness I am so sorry to have startled you-” The man began.

Lance raised his hands up, “Whoa, whoa there. It’s okay. In your defense I was talking to a horse so I wasn’t paying attention and I thought no one was here. Now that I think about it, I hope you don’t think it’s weird I was talking to a horse in the first place. It’s kind of strange that I come here anyway because I don’t know how to ride a horse at all. Anyway, I’m rambling. What’s your name?”

“Oh, I didn’t give you my name, I’m sorry. It’s- Takashi Shirogane but everyone calls me Shiro. Your Highness, if you don’t know how to ride a horse, I can teach you. I taught my stepbrother, I’m sure you’re easy to teach.” He said.

Lance nodded, “I’d like that. I should get going but maybe tomorrow I’ll come back and take you up on your offer. It was nice to meet you, Shiro.”

With that, Lance left, still feeling nervous about his impending future but at least he will finally learn how to ride a horse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay just to clarify a few things, Shiro does have his mechanical arm, I didn't described it but I will later on. Also about the horses I figured if there was mice then there was horses too.


	3. Of Horses and Loopholes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday guys!
> 
> I'm happy to announce that I have found a beta! I'm super happy about this and shes worked on this chapter. She's going to work on the previous chapters as well. So it all will be beta'd which makes me relax a bit. I wish I had a beta, before I started this but it's okay. We got one now and that's what makes me happy. Anyway, here is a new update. I hope you like it!

Shiro was having an interesting day since he started to work for the palace. He felt like he was lucky that he worked with the horses. So far he had only met the king, queen and princess. He had yet to meet the prince. He wasn’t sure what to make of him. When he would venture into town, he would hear people praise Princess Allura but start claiming they felt sorry for Prince Lance. Even his stepbrother and stepfather always had something rude to say about the young prince. Personally, Shiro didn’t have an opinion about the prince. His mother always taught him to never speak ill about anyone, especially if he’d never met them, plus it was strange that people thought not so greatly about their prince. 

So after a horse named Brutus ran off again, he was sent to look for him. Being the new guy and all he wasn’t surprised he was sent to do the things the other stable hands didn’t want to do. It took him a good two varga to look around yet Brutus was nowhere to be found. He came back to the stables, expecting to be scolded by the others but no one was in the back. He moved to the front of the stables and that was when he noticed that someone was there with Brutus. The first thing he thought was that the freaking horse just had to be here all the while he was walking around like some sort of idiot. The next thing was he was listening in on some sort of conversation that he shouldn’t be.

He cleared his throat but the person must not have heard him. He was in a deep rant about someone he didn’t like while he was feeding Brutus some apples. When he finally had the courage to speak, he didn’t expect the young man to actually jump in the air and yell. He wanted to laugh but the guilt of scaring him was stronger than anything else. He waited patiently for the person to calm down and once they turned around... Well, he was lost in the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Over all the young man was handsome and dressed exceedingly fine. Shiro thought he had to have been a noble man or something like that. Then he said his name was Lance and it hit him, this was the prince everyone had been talking about.

Needless to say he panicked just a little bit. He scared royalty. He could already see himself getting fired. He was apologizing when the prince stopped him and reassured him that it was okay and even asked him for his name. Shiro gave it to him and offered to teach him how to ride a horse. The prince was very down to learn. He left in a hurry but he was so nice and Shiro couldn’t believe that he had actually met Prince Lance. He looked over at Brutus who neighed at him. He sighed and led the horse back to his stable and asked Brutus not to escape for the rest of the evening. He was neighed at yet again, which he took as a yes. He finished the rest of his work and then went to rinse the day away before dinner.

When he arrived for dinner in the servants’ dining area, he was greeted by Matt and Katie whom a lot of the other people liked to call Pidge. Matt smiled over at him and motioned to join them at their table, to which Shiro obliged. He wasn’t going to not make any friends. Besides, once upon a time, he used to be quite the social person when he was younger. There was no reason to not try now that he was here. When he sat down, he was joined by Shay and Hunk who were sitting next to one of another and feeding each other. Katie was making faces at it while Matt sighed, wishing that he had someone to do that with. It was around the time Keith came around, sitting next to Shiro and placing his head in his hands, his fingers massaging his scalp.

“What’s eating you?” Matt asked.

It took awhile but eventually Keith looked up and said, “You didn’t hear what Lord Zarkon and his brat son did?”

Everyone stopped what they were doing at that point to stare at Keith with curiosity. 

Shiro didn’t like hearing things about Lord Zarkon and his son. Whenever someone asked him who he used to work for, he would lie and say someone from the outskirts. It would take too long to explain the entire story to someone who didn’t already know it. When his father died, his mother remarried. The person she remarried was to Zarkon, who was also a widower. He had lost his beloved wife Honerva, or as some people in the courts would call her, Haggar. Though Zarkon loved her, he was quick to remarry Shiro’s mother. If anyone asked him, he wasn’t surprised because his mother was beautiful and still in her prime when she became a widow. The years his mother and Zarkon were married were nice. Lotor and him didn’t see eye to eye all of the time but they got along well enough. It wasn’t until his mother died that things changed. 

Zarkon was a cruel man and Lotor was very similar to his father. The difference was that while Zarkon’s way of handling him was beating him, Lotor’s was playing mind games with him. Both left him mental and physical scars, especially the most noticeable one that everyone would look at before talking to him. After years of the abuse and being forced to do things he didn’t want to, he left the manor and found himself working at the palace. He didn’t think Lotor and Zarkon could find him here but apparently from what Keith just brought up, they were practically inescapable. 

“Well, Lord Zarkon found a loophole in the laws. I don’t know which one but pretty much Princess Allura and Prince Lance need to find spouses before the year ends or they lose the right to the kingdom to Lord Zarkon. The man also said he wouldn’t pursue this if one of them will marry Lotor,” Keith said clearly very upset.

Hunk and Shay gasped. Matt and Katie made faces while Shiro simply stared in shock, trying not to let it show through. He knew that the pair was very ambitious, but not to the point of trying to take the kingdom away for themselves. Shiro couldn’t help but be a little upset about it. Thinking about what they did to him, he could only imagine what they would do the kingdom. Especially thinking what kind of games Lotor would play when it came to if he married a member of the royal family. 

“Well, Lotor will never get the chance to marry Princess Allura,” Matt began, “She’s too strong willed and she’d see right through his deceit.”

Keith nodded, “True. But that leaves Prince Lance. If Lotor really wants to marry in the royal family, the prince is the only logical option. You guys know how the prince is really like. I see him every day. I mean, he annoys me greatly but that’s not the point. If someone gives him enough attention… who knows?”

“Lance is not that gullible. He won’t let someone play him like that and he knows that Lotor only wants his hands on the crown,” Hunk defended.

Shiro could tell that Katie and Shay were doubtful and that worried him. He lived with Lotor ever since he was entering puberty; he knew exactly what kind of things Lotor could do to someone. The thought of that man doing something to the sweet young man that is Prince Lance... For some reason that idea made him sick to his stomach. He was sure that Lotor hated the prince from how he and Zarkon would talk about him. There was no way that Lotor would actually develop feelings for someone he thought was a ‘pathetic excuse of a member of the royal family’. He was horrified at what would happen if Prince Lance actually fell for his charms. He could only imagine the kinds of games he would play.

Sleep that night wasn’t fast to come, it was as if Shiro’s mind refused to turn off with the haunting of memories and the random scenarios ran wild. What if the others were right and Prince Lance fell for Lotor’s tricks? What if the Princess Allura and Prince Lance couldn’t get married on time and the kingdom fell into Zarkon’s hands? What would happen to the current royal family? Would they make one of the siblings marry Lotor? What if it was Princess Allura since she would be the most logical choice in that situation? What would happen to Prince Lance then? When he was finally able to settle, he knew that he was going to hate himself when it was time to wake up. 

True to his word, that morning Shiro hated himself for letting his mind get the best of him. The other stable hands kept asking him what the matter was since he didn’t look so good. No matter how many times he washed his face, he couldn’t bring himself to wake up properly. Even Brutus was giving him a funny look. He chose to ignore what everyone and the horse were doing and focused on getting his work done. There was a lot that he needed to do and it wasn’t going to work on itself. It was late afternoon by the time he was done; he skipped lunch in favor of finishing his work earlier. Thankfully, Hunk sent Matt with some lunch to bring to him. He was glad to have friends like them. He had just finished his lunch when he noticed that someone was in the stables. When he got closer, he noticed it was Prince Lance. He was feeding Brutus more apples and the horse was being super affectionate back to him. It was strange to see that horse so taken by someone. 

“Welcome back, Your Highness,” Shiro greeted as he walked closer.

The prince turned to him and smiled, “Hello, Shiro! Just the man I was looking for. Are you still willing to give me some lessons on how to ride a horse?”

“Of course, Your Highness, I wouldn’t have offered otherwise. What horse would you like to take for practice?” he asked.

Lance turned to Brutus and said, “I think me and this one have had a lot of bonding. If you don’t mind taking the horse that’s been giving you guys some problems.”

“It’s whatever you want,” he said. 

Lance nodded and said, “Well, I want to bond with Brutus more.”

So Shiro let Brutus out of the stable and led the horse to an open area while having some small talk with the prince. Lance was rather talkative; he spoke about his duties and such while asking Shiro how he liked it working as a stable hand. The one thing that stood out to him the most was when the prince asked him if he was being treated well here. It was surprising to say the least. He had never been asked that before, not even when the other members of the royal family visit for their daily ride. He hadn’t been expecting that kind of question nor had he thought to answer until the prince looked over at him with genuine concern written on his face.

“Yes, Your Highness, I’m being treated well here. Probably better than I should be treated,” he replied.

Lance smiled, “You know, you don’t have to be so formal with me. When we’re like this you can call me Lance. All of my friends do and since you’re going to be my teacher, I find it only fitting that you do so as well.”

“I don’t think that’s appropriate of me to do so…” Shiro began.

Lanced laughed, “Well of course it’s not appropriate but no one is going to try to correct you. Since I’ve asked you to call me by my first name, you won’t get in trouble. You were simply listening to me. So, what are we going to learn today?”

“I was thinking something simple like getting on the horse,” he said.

It took them a varga, but the prince was finally able to get on the horse without any assistance by the time they were done. Shiro was a patient person by nature and he had been happy to know that Lance was more than willing to take instruction. It was very refreshing for Shiro to see someone to willing to learn. He was much more relaxed when he noticed that Brutus was behaving for once. He was going to have to reward the horse with a few sugar cubes for sure. He let himself smile and laugh at some of Lance’s jokes, he was a sucker for some good ones once in a while. He wasn’t as serious as people made him out to be. Before they parted ways, Lance made a joke about having his inner thighs bruised. Shiro laughed for a good dobash before saying that Lance’s would heal in no time and soon his body would get used to being on a horse and ridding one.

“That’s not all I’m going to be getting ready to ride,” Lance said as he gave him a knowing wink.

Shiro didn’t know what to make of that joke but he most likely made a funny face because Lance was laughing as he walked off and waved at him to have a nice night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support you have given me. Come yell at me about Shance and Voltron at my tumblr: lielie717   
> Looking forward to hearing from you!


	4. A Day In The Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello once again friends!
> 
> I hope you all are having a great week so far, and here is the update to brighten up your day. I'm still debating on how often I should give you updates. I"m trying out once a week currently. Do you like the once a week approach or was twice a week better? Let me know in the comments.
> 
> This chapter was so much fun to write mostly because its in a different POV than the others have been but it's also setting up a few things for later on. I've decided there will be between 30-30+ chapters for this fic which is a bit ambitious of me but the plans I have so far will take time and I've divided the groups of chapters into different archs. We are currently in the first arch which well end in chapter 10, just in time for arch two and so on. 
> 
> Since I'm positive there will be at least thirty chapters, should I put that on the number of chapters? Think about it and then comment, please. I really want to hear your opinion on all that is going on.
> 
> Enjoy the fic!

Allura was at a loss. There was something strange about this loophole in the law and she was going to get to the bottom of it before the year was out. Until then, she was going to play by the rules that were already set. She was going to marry a nobleman, but whoever she married was going to be by her long list of standards. She was going to be Queen after all; her consort was going to have to be just as hard working as she was, if not more.

Perhaps someone like Keith would be ideal. He was very diligent with his job and keeping her safe. She respected someone like him, who placed his job first before anything else and she understood it wasn’t easy, for any of them. It meant that you missed out on things like spending time with family or bonding with friends. As much as she wanted to relax, it was something she couldn’t afford to do at the moment. She only had to figure out this whole loophole thing. She took a sip of her tea and was about to review the document she had been staring at for an hour before Lance walked in.

“Allura, help,” Lance exclaimed, looking frazzled as he sat down next to his sister.

Allura replied full of worry, “What happened, Lance? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I flirted with the stable hand. I know I shouldn’t be doing something like that but you know how it is… when someone says something that could be suggestive. You know I can’t help but say something back and it just came out before I was realizing what I was doing. Then he stared at me for a good few ticks and I thought that he was going to get mad or something. Instead of taking it back, I winked at him and then left. How can I ever go back and learn how to ride a horse after that?!” Lance ranted.

Allura simply took a deep breath and stared at her brother. Of all the dumb things he had ever done, this was rather tame for him to be coming to her about it. She heard snickering in the background and glanced over at Keith who was trying his best to keep a straight face. She always thought his deep red marks under his eyes were perfect on him, but that was beyond the point. The point was that Lance had done something stupid and Keith was laughing about it and she also wanted to laugh at her brother but knew she had to present as the reasonable older sister. Still, she smiled wondering which stable hand her little brother had flirted with. She was also glad that Lance was finally going to learn to ride a horse. He hadn’t been interested in horse ridding when he was younger and missed a lot of the family outings. At least now he wanted to learn.

She responded, “Now, now Lance. I’m sure the stable hand isn’t thinking any less of you. Just for curiosity’s sake, just who was the stable hand?”

“His name is Shiro, he’s new and he’s very nice,” Lance stated.

Allura heard Keith cough. She turned to him briefly while he tried to mask his laugh as a cough. She turned her attention back to her brother and his worry. Yes, she recalled Shiro. He was fairly nice and she couldn’t believe that he was willing to teach her brother how to ride a horse. She had figured that Lance would go with one of the more experienced stable hands. Why did he go for a new one? She was very confused but she didn’t want to press it. She knew her brother well enough to know that his reasoning as to why he did something usually depended on his mood that day. 

She said, “Shiro is not going to judge you for flirting with him. But if you’re feeling that bad about it then you should go and apologize to him for being inappropriate with him. I’m positive that he’s going to be understanding with you. From what I’ve heard about him he’s very reasonable. Isn’t that right, Keith?”

“Yes Princess, Shiro is very patient and understanding,” Keith replied trying to keep the straightest face he could do.

Allura nodded and stood up, leading Lance to the door, “You should try to apologize to him as soon as possible. I suggest you look for him right now if he’s not busy.”

Lance didn’t get another word in before Allura let him out of her room and closed the door behind him. 

She sighed when she heard Lance’s footsteps. She knew it might have been mean to let him go so quickly but talking to Lance reminded her of something she saw earlier. Though it had nothing to do with the conversation she had with Lance, it clicked during the conversation. 

She looked over the documents that she had been going over when she found what she was looking for. She read what law had said about marriage. Though it was true that they would have to marry or else Zarkon could take the throne. It was up to parliament to make that choice in the end. Unless parliament was already bought by Zarkon, they were going to have a chance. As long as she, the heir, was married, there was no need for Lance to also get married. Parliament would find it sufficient that she was married and her family could still have the title of the royal family. She knew she was going to have to tell her father what she found.

While this was going on, Keith was in the background, as a silent sentinel. He wasn’t as excited about the news as the others were. Sure, it saved Prince Lance but what about Princess Allura? She was still going to have to get married to a stranger. He didn’t like the thought of that. Though he knew his chances to be with the princess were near zero before this loophole was found; now he definitely didn’t have any. He might not have known much about his mother, if only her first name, but his father was no nobleman. He was a farmer who had expected Keith to take over the family business before things happened. Here was no closer to being a farmer than Coran was and that was okay. He was content with being a knight. He was still surprised that he was granted a knighthood regardless of his class. 

Once that was settled, Allura went to lunch with her father, the King’s guards were going to watch them both while they lunched. Keith went to the dining hall and smirked when he noticed that Shiro was actually there talking to the rest of the group. He was still laughing from what he had heard this morning from the prince. He figured he probably shouldn’t bring it up but he wanted to see Shiro’s reaction and he wanted to hear whatever the older man had to say on the subject. He smiled as he thought about it and sat down with everyone. Needless to say, the rest of the group looked surprised that he actually knew how to smile.

“What’s got you in a good mood?” Pidge asked.

Keith didn’t answer her; instead he turned to Shiro and said, “So I heard that Prince Lance flirted with you?”

That got everyone else’s attention immediately. Matt chocked on his drink, Pidge began to snicker, Hunk and Shay both gasped. Shiro sent Keith a look while Keith was actually letting himself laugh about this. 

Shiro shook his head, “Very funny Keith. But yes, he did say some…interesting things to me yesterday while I was teaching him how to get on a horse. But I’m sure he was kidding around. We were both joking about things while he was trying to get up on the saddle. I think it’s nice that he’s comfortable around me to make jokes. He also asked if I was being treated well. That surprised me; I didn’t think it would matter to him.”

“Well of course it matters to him,” Hunk said, “He’s a very caring person. When we were small he always asked us what we wanted to play and was very interested in our lives. He’s a lot like his mother in that way. Queen Ilia is from a very small kingdom and she was very friendly with the servants that worked there too. I’m not surprised that Lance got that side of his mother. Has he asked you to call him by his first name yet?”

Shiro nodded, “He has. Why is that significant?”

“He only does that with people that he feels a close connection too,” Hunk explained, “In fact, all of us at this table have been asked by him to call him by his given name. Everyone does it, except Keith.”

Keith scoffed, “You wouldn’t do it either if he made fun of you every single time he saw you.”

Keith liked Lance, though if you ever asked him about it he would never admit it. Lance would do the same thing if someone upfront asked him if he liked Keith. It was how the world worked. That was their relationship and no one seemed to understand that. Which was fine, otherwise they would know that he liked Allura. It was the unspoken agreement between him and Lance and the more the prince made fun of him, the more he had been willing to admit it. Until now, he wasn’t sure why Lance was still insisting on trying to get him and Allura together. 

But no one needed to know that because then Allura would know that he liked her and that wasn’t something he was ready for yet. So they pretended that they didn’t like one another and Lance was making fun of him just because he could. Keith liked it that way and he wanted it to stay like that. He tried not to think about Allura while he was here with his friends. Hell, he tried not to think of her while he was with her.

When he was done with lunch, Allura was back and she was talking to Lance about something in a hushed voice. It was probably about the thing she discovered. Now that Lance was safe when it came to having to get married, she must have been eager to let him know like the diligent sister she was. That was what Keith liked about the princess; she was a great sister and watched over her little brother with a reverence that only a few could posses. She giggled at something Lance said. The prince smiling at his sister as he went on with another joke he wanted to tell her. She laughed harder that time and that was when he took it as his moment to leave. He waved at Keith before he left. Keith didn’t know what Lance’s schedule was but going by what he was wearing, he was going to see Shiro.

“Did you tell Prince Lance what you discovered?” Keith asked curiously.

She replied with, “No. My father and I didn’t think that was wise to do. My father and I came up with something else that is going to be made public soon. We decided we were going to have every eligible noble in the kingdom and royalty from other kingdoms to come to our kingdom and work in trying to get my hand. Of course, there will be a few that will be trying to get Lance’s hand. The main event will be a masquerade ball where I will announce who my consort shall be.”

Keith was flabbergasted. If anyone had asked him what he thought of this plan, he would have said it was the dumbest thing he had ever heard. He didn’t think inviting nobles and royals from all over to compete for her hand was the wisest idea. Still, a part of him wished desperately that he was noble, because he would very much want to join in this contest. He would be more than happy to be the one that Princess Allura would choose him over all the others. But then something hit him.

“What about Lotor?” He asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this a cliffhanger? It sure was! The sad thing is you guys are going to have to wait a long time before you get your answer. Like in the second arch of the story. I know I'm cruel but it was a legit question that Keith had. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the chapter and I hope to hear from you soon,
> 
> Come yell at me about Shance or this fic on tumblr: lielie717
> 
> See ya soon!


	5. The Pub

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are at chapter five!
> 
> This chapter was so much fun to write, I want there to have more scenes like this and I will try to fit them into the story as I can. Also, I hope you liked the cliffhanger. It was my favorite part to write for you all. All I want to say to the people who have subscribed, bookmarked and commented is thank you. Whenever I feel like giving up I remember that all of you are interested and want to see where the story is going to end. This story is for you and I love you all so much.

Lance was exhausted by the time he made it to the stables; he had to run there all the way from Allura’s quarters to there. He felt like he had been running for years by the time he stopped, catching his breath when he walked into the stables. Shiro was already letting Brutus out of his stall and he smiled at Lance who smiled back. There was something about Shiro that made Lance’s mind turn into mush. It could have been his smile that did it but then again, it could have been that physique. Lance would have killed for a body like that, not saying that his body wasn’t nice, it was very nice! It just wasn’t like Shiro’s. He shook the thoughts out of his mind as he looked at over at Shiro who was waiting on him.

“I’m sorry for what I said the last time we met up. It was a knee-jerk reaction. I always say stupid things like that. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything,” Lance said as he was getting on the horse just like how they practiced. 

Shiro had a thoughtful expression, “Your- Lance, its okay. I understand. I heard you were a jokester from Hunk. Don’t worry about it.”

Lance relaxed in that moment. Though he was glad that Shiro understood when it came to his sense of humor. He just didn’t get how it could be... Shiro was patient, calm, relaxed, and every other synonym he could think of. He wondered where it came from but he didn’t want to press, he didn’t want to come off as nosey as well as being a big flirt. He already got enough judgement when he was around the people but, for some reason, he wanted to the man to not see him the way the people saw him or made him out to be. Shiro took the reins with his mechanical hand and lead the horse in a slow pace while Lance was on said animal. He was a little wobbly at first, but after awhile he got used to it.

“So tell me about yourself, Shiro, where did you grow up?” He asked.

Shiro chuckled, “I grew up in a small village that’s very popular for its juniberry flowers. My village is where the juniberry flower festival is held. The festivals are always fun, don’t you think?”

“Not when you have to sit there and look pretty the entire time. Wait…so you were probably there when I ruined the festival one year when I was twelve,” Lance groaned.

Shiro laughed, which sounded pleasant to Lance’s ears, “Yes, I was there. I don’t see why people made such a big deal about it, you were a kid. Personally, it’s my favorite memory of the festival.”

“No one has ever told me that before, they usually just like to remind me that I ruined the festival but no one has ever said it was their favorite memory. I don’t know if I’m embarrassed or flattered. The only thing I remember the most is when I ran to the river to cry and someone was comforting me. I didn’t get his name but I wished I did. I wanted to thank him for being so nice to me,” Lance admitted.

Shiro shrugged, “I’m sure whoever he was already knows you were thankful for what he did for you.”

“I hope so,” he said.

That night Lance thought about what his sister had told him. Soon there was going to be an influx of men and women coming to the palace to try to get their hands on Allura and him. He made a face at the thought. He was sure that most people were going to arrive for Allura than they were for him. Not that he minded, he was sure that Keith was going to have a problem but he needed to get over his pride and just tell his sister how he felt. Of course, Lance was making it sound easier than it actually was. Lance had liked someone before, Lady Nyma was her name and they had a fling one summer that ended up fizzling out. She was now married to a Baron named Rolo and they were expecting their first child in four months. 

He wondered who was going to show up for him. He guessed he would know in a month from now. From how people would talked about him, he was sure that hardly anyone was interested enough to come for him. Not that he minded, he could marry whoever he wanted and he had all year to find that special person. His thoughts were scattered all through dinner, his parents were making small talk with Allura when his father addressed him. It wasn’t shocking that his father would talk to him but rather that he was having dinner with them since he was usually so busy with paperwork and running the kingdom.

“So I hear from your sister that you’re learning how to ride a horse,” Alfor said with a smile.

Lance nodded and smiled back, “Yes I am. I really like it so far and Shiro is making things so easy for me to learn. I think tomorrow we’re going on a short ride. I’m quite nervous about taking the reins but I’m sure I’ll be okay.”

“If Shiro is a great teacher, you will be fine. I do expect you to at least get the hang of it before we have our guests here. I’m thinking about taking them all out on a ride,” Alfor said

Allura clapped her hands excitedly, “Really, father? That will be very exciting to do with all of the suitors. We can see which ones can handle the terrain.”

Lance didn’t think the terrain was going to be the issue. He personally thought that handling all those lustful men that were going to be after her would be the bigger deal. He could imagine just how frustrated Keith was going to be when it came to him trying to do his job, while also trying to deny himself the opportunity to woo his sister. Lance tried to think of something good that he could do for Keith but he doubted that Keith would be receptive to it. Maybe with Shay’s help…or Shiro’s? Did Shiro even talk to Keith? That was something he didn’t know, perhaps he will ask.

After dinner Lance decided he wanted to retire to his room, As much as he wanted to see his friends, he didn’t want to disturb their dinner. They would tell him they didn’t care but he always felt like he wasn’t wanted there. He was almost to his room when he was stopped by Matt and Pidge. Which was strange because they never came to his room around this time, he ran up to them to see what the problem was, but when he got to them he noticed that nothing was wrong but that they were smiling.

“What’s going on?” Lance asked.

Pidge said, “Well, the group is going to a local pub to celebrate Hunk and Shay’s engagement. Want to join us?”

“It’ll be fun! You should come party with us. You need to let loose after everything that happened,” Matt begged.

Lance knew he shouldn’t have given in so easily but with Matt and Pidge here looking at him so earnestly, how could he say no? So he got in his plain and simple clothes before sneaking out of the palace with them. It was quite hard to get out with the guards making their rounds but it worked out and once they were out of the palace, they headed to the pub. When they got there, Lance was glad to see Hunk with Shay, dancing to the music. Keith was keeping to himself as usual, that is until Pidge joined him. Matt led him to the bar where he sat down and ordered a drink. Luckily he brought his money but he knew he was going to have to buy a lot because all he had was gold pieces. So he opened a tab and put everyone’s drinks on it. The bartender was surprised but didn’t inquire into how he got that kind of money. If he knew who Lance was, he certainly didn’t say anything about it. 

He drank a few before someone asked him to dance. He looked up and smiled at the man before being led to the dance floor, joining Hunk and Shay. He smiled and laughed brightly as he was turned and moved with the music. He looked up at the man, who was taller than him. The man smiled back and kept dancing with him until someone else decided to cut in. This other man was confident in himself, and Lance could see it. Well, the two of them could play that game. He waved at Hunk and Shay as he was dancing. He smiled at the second man, who smiled back but this smile didn’t reach his eyes. It made Lance feel uneasy and he didn’t like having that feeling. He had an inkling this man knew who he was and he wasn’t sure what that meant for him.

After dancing for a while, they went back to the bar to calm down and drink more. While walking back to his seat, he felt the man’s hand on his lower back. He kept calm but he didn’t like that the man was handling him in such a way considering they barely met. Lance might not have had much experience in relationships, but he didn’t want someone he didn’t know to be touching him like that. It was rude in his opinion. He tried to move the hand away from his lower back but the man tightened his grip and it began to hurt. He looked at the man who was still smiling at him while his other hand was holding his glass. 

“Let go of me,” Lance said in a serious tone.

The man laughed, “And just why would I want to do that for?”

“Because he said so,” A voice behind Lance said.

Lance turned around and a wave of relief hit him. It was Shiro and his stormy grey eyes were locked on the other man in a very intimidating stare. Lance couldn’t believe it was him. The kind and wonderful Shiro who was so gentle with him and the horses, looking like he could murder this man on the spot sent chills down Lance’s spine. But the chills weren’t induced by fear, rather by intrigue. What would Shiro do? There was also the question why Shiro was being protective of him. The man promptly let go of Lance who was taken about to be lead away by Keith when the man spoke up again.

“I know you! You’re the Cham-” He said before he was interrupted.

Shiro said calmly, “I don’t know who that is but I think you have me confused for someone else. You must have had a lot to drink if that’s confusing you. I think you should go home and sleep it off.”

The man didn’t say anything after that, he simply turned around and took off from the pub. Shiro sighed turnimg to face the rest of the group and sat down on the only empty chair which was in between Lance and Keith. Now that he wasn’t glaring, his demeanor was calmer and he looked relaxed. He was nursing a drink which made Lance wonder when Shiro had come in. Perhaps when he was dancing with the man? They had been dancing for the longest time. They were playing the fun fast ones that Lance never gets to dance often since the palace balls never played any of the fun music. They were always so stiff and he hated it. He wished the dance this time around would be fun. It probably wouldn’t be sadly. That was when they began to play another song that Lance knew he had to dance to. He sat up and looked over at Keith.

“Keith! You have to dance this with me!” He said.

Keith rolled his eyes, “No I’m not. You know who you can ask? Shiro. I mean, you did flirt with him the other day.”

Lance flushed while the others began to laugh. Shiro ducked his head out of embarrassment, or at least that’s what Lance thought it was. He knew that Keith was being mean but the song was about to start and he needed someone to dance with. He was desperate for a partner. 

“Shiro? Will you dance this with me?” He asked.

The man looked up at him as if to say something but he nodded and led Lance out to the dance floor. Others were staring at them, probably amazed at how handsome Shiro was. He looked down at Lance and gave him a small smile. He apologized for his dancing in advance before the music really picked up and they glided across the dance floor. Needless to say, he was very impressed with how well Shiro knew how to move to this song. A part of him thought he wouldn’t mind having Shiro as his dance partner all of the time. They kept staring at each other with smiles on their faces, laughing whenever they got things wrong or messed up. They had forgotten everyone else was around them but the only ones watching them intently was the group. None of them had seen Shiro or Lance, having such a great time as they were right in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think?
> 
> I really liked the whole idea of Lance dancing in the pub with people. I can see him having way too much fun with that and I wanted to show it. I don't know what the songs were or anything like that but I thought the song at the end should be the Hungarian Dance No. 5. I always wanted to dance to that song because it has a great beat and it sounds so much fun to dance to. 
> 
> See you all next week!


	6. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy June everyone! 
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying the summer. Where I live in South Texas, its hot! I'm pretty much staying indoors because I don't want to melt. But luckily, I live 30 minutes away from the beach so I will definitely be going to visit the water soon. I've got three bathing suits I can use and I can't wait to use them. I'm a summer baby so my birthday is coming up. I'm so excited but I'm getting old. I already have a forelock of white hair like Shiro. I hated it at first but now i'm embracing it. 
> 
> Anyway, enough of my rambling, enjoy the fic!

When Shiro woke up in the morning, he had to admit he slept better than he ever had before. He stretched and was turning to face the wall when he noticed Prince Lance was in his bed. Shiro knew he drank last night but he swore he wasn’t that drunk to break the rules and have relations with the prince. He looked under the covers and thankfully they both had all of their clothes on. That helped the little heart attack he was having. Then the thought hit him: if they didn’t have intercourse, then why was the prince in bed with him? He tried to think back to last night.

 

He remembered the group telling him where they were going and invited him to join them. He wasn’t going to go at first but after thinking about it, he decided to join them. When he got there, everyone else was already there and he sat next to Keith who was facing the dance floor. He wondered why until he saw Lance dancing with a man neither of them knew. Though he looked uneasy he seemed to be okay, at least until they went to the bar, where Shiro noticed something wrong. He frowned at the thought of that man touching Lance after the prince tried to make him to let go of him. That’s when he sprung into action. He got the man away from Lance but at the risk of being recognized, hence he tried to play it off that he was drunk and told him to go home.

 

Once the man was gone he sat back down next to Keith…or so he thought until he noticed that he was sitting next to Lance. He glared at Keith who was smirking. He nursed his drink, trying not to pay attention to what everyone else was doing. Then Lance asked Keith to dance who told him to ask Shiro. He was going to tell the prince he couldn’t for the life of him when he saw those blue eyes he’s enthralled with, begging him to dance. So they danced, danced, and danced. He hadn’t danced in years since his mother married Zarkon and he didn’t think he was going to do it ever again until last night. After they danced, they drank more before Lance fell asleep on his shoulder. Since he was still pretty good, he carried the prince back into his own room, mostly because he didn’t know if he could sneak into the main part of the palace with an inebriated prince in his arms. The guards would think he kidnapped him or something.

 

Now Lance was still asleep, he shuffled before he reached out to Shiro and pulled him closer as if he was hugging a pillow. Shiro decided to comply; he could be at work late today. He had told the other stable hands he was going out. He’s covered for practically all of them before so this shouldn’t be an issue. He let himself relax again as the prince snuggled into him and mumbled something that Shiro didn’t understand. It made him chuckle and he glanced over at Lance. He looked so peaceful asleep and comfortable. He curled into Shiro which the latter would say was something different but it felt nice. He was lucky to be seeing this side of Lance as well as it would get him in deep trouble, but while he was looking at the sleeping prince he found that he didn’t care much for the last part. He wanted to stay like this, feeling such a peace that he hadn’t felt since his mother was still around.

 

It didn’t take too long for Lance to stir and wake up. He stretched and opened his eyes, looking around in confusion before landing on Shiro. If he thought he had panicked, it was nothing compared to the prince. He shot out of bed, gasping, muttering just how much he had to drink and apologizing to him profusely. When he began hyperventilating, was when Shiro decided he needed to step in and talk to the young prince.

 

“Hey,” He began softly, “It’s alright, there is nothing to worry about. You drank a good amount and then you fell asleep. I didn’t want to be caught by the guards looking like I kidnapped you so I brought you to my room. There is nothing for you to worry about when it comes to that; you were very knocked out last night.”

 

Lance deflated a bit, “Thank you for watching over me. I’m sorry you had to put up with me. I’m sure I’m a handful to deal with.”

 

“You weren’t a handful, you were fine. You must have been very tired because you slept very well,” He said softly.

 

Lance paled, “I should get going, if I take a few shortcuts I should make it back to my room before anyone begins to notice I was gone. Thank you so much for putting up with me for the night. You’re very kind. I’ll be back later for my lesson. G-good bye.”

 

With that Lance ran out of the room leaving Shiro confused as to what happened. He went to work and laughed along when the other men joked about how drunk he was the night before. He was a little late with finishing his duties but Lance hadn’t shown up at his usual time. So he relaxed and focused on his work. When he finished, he noticed that it was getting late and Lance was nowhere to be found. He was curious but knew better than to inquire about it.

 

He went to dinner and sat with the group. He was breaking bread when he realized that no one else was eating. He looked up and saw all of them staring at him intently. He stopped what he was doing and crossed his arms, looking up at them wondering which one of them was going to say something. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t Keith who spoke up like he expected. It was Katie. He wasn’t sure if that made it any more easier because she was a spitfire who didn’t like to be messed with.

 

“So do you like Lance or something? You both were dancing a long time, and then you brought him back here. You even carried him,” She said.

 

He was glad that he wasn’t eating, or else he would have choked on his food. He made a face as he ate some of his bread. It wasn’t that he was ignoring her, he simply didn’t want to answer he while he was on an empty stomach. As patient as he was, he couldn’t deal with something like that while he was hungry. He knew what his answer was going to be so whatever they were all thinking, he wasn’t going to give them what they seemed so desperate to hear.

 

He replied, “No, it’s not like that. Prince Lance and I are acquaintances at best. I’m only teaching him how to ride a horse. There isn’t really anything else to it. I don’t know what you all saw yesterday but it wasn’t anything. Why don’t we talk about something that’s really happening, like Keith’s crush on the princess?”

 

“I do not have a crush on her!” Keith denied banging on the table.

 

Hunk shook his head, “Yeah sure, Keith, just like Shay and I are only getting married for political reasons.”

 

“That’s not funny. Besides, Princess Allura has to get married to someone of noble blood. The only reason I’m allowed to even be near her is because I bested the greats in my class.” Keith said, “You know, Prince Lance is free to marry whoever he chooses. Just saying, in case Shiro changes his mind about his feelings,”

 

Shiro replied calmly, “That’s not going to be happening. Aside from me being a stable hand and him a prince, I’m about eight years older than him. I don’t think it would ever work out properly.”

 

Though age wasn’t as important to Shiro as he was claiming it was. He didn’t want to get close to anyone at the moment. Even if someone around his age was making a pass at him, he wouldn’t know how to respond to it. He didn’t really have experience with relationships. When he was living with Zarkon any form of relationship could have been exploited if it was found out. Now that he was away from all of that, he didn’t want to pursue anything while he adjusted to being a regular person after a long time of not being that. Not that he would explain that to anyone. They wouldn’t understand so he deflected form himself to Keith. It was easier that way than letting people in.

 

When he went to bed that night, he tossed and turned for a while. He hated not being able to sleep. He wished that he could rest now that he could rest, now rgat he was allowed to. Deep inside his mind, he wished he wasn’t alone but it wasn’t like he could get someone to sleep next to him without explaining why he couldn’t sleep. What could he say? The trauma from his past keeps him awake at night because he’s desperately afraid that it might happen again? Yeah, that was going to be very easy to explain. He finally turned around and went to sleep.

 

_Shiro was waiting, just like he always was when he was there. The cell he was put in was freezing. With the damp air around him, he felt like he was going to get sick. Yet he never did get sick, he didn’t know if it had something to do with the strange concoction Lotor would always give him. He waited for what seemed like hours, the cheering from above was nonstop and it felt like it was getting louder with every tick that passed. He wanted to pace around but he needed all the energy that he could muster. Finally, he was led to the arena. He kept himself composed, looking as if he wasn’t as nervous as he felt._

_He was pushed in the arena, the cheers remarkably louder as he walked in. He noticed the other guy he was going to fight was remarkably bigger. Why did they always give him the hard ones? He glanced up to where Zarkon and Lotor were sitting. Though they were all wearing masks, he knew exactly who they were. He received a hard glare from Zarkon, it conveyed everything that he needed to know. He had to win no matter at what cost. The two men circled each other, Shiro getting on defense already. He had been in enough of these fights to know that the man was going to attack him first._

_They always did._

_He braced himself and sure enough, the man lunged at him. Shiro moved to his right, thus the man crashing into one of the walls. He knew how to work the crowd; he was a professional by that time. He avoided the man’s lunges just enough to get the crowd excited. He lets himself get pinned down but it was all part of the plan. He heard the crowd gasp and he can’t help but smirk. He needed to look like he’s enjoying this. He waited a dobash or two before getting himself out of the hold and punching his opponent in the gut making him for the man to spit up and gasp for air. The crowd cheered yet again because of this._

_He circled the man who was still on the floor. This is was way too easy for him, now he was wondering why he thought it would be too hard. He was about to go for the finishing blow when two weapons were thrown into the arena. His blood went cold as the crowd went wild. it was going to be a fight for the death. No wonder Zarkon told him he had to win. He was going to lose his life otherwise. He went to grab a weapon, taking a rather large axe. The other man had gotten up and grabbed a sword._

_Shiro didn’t even give the man a chance to adjust to the weapon before going after him. He swung the weapon and barely missed. There was no need to think, he had to attack or be attacked. Their weapons clanked against each other, neither of them relenting. Eventually only one was going to win. Shiro kept swinging; he was going to hit something if he kept this up. The people were cheering and it seemed like they were never going to shut up. The crowd was chanting Champion, his name in these fights, over and over. The last thing he remembered was being hit on the back of his head. He turned around and snarled before the world around him went black._

_Shiro was in a bathroom of sorts, cleaning up himself, washing the blood from off of his body. He shivered, trying not to think about it. About what he just did. Whenever he did, he wanted to throw up. He forced himself to think about other things, like what was going to happen when they get home. He had done everything that was asked of him, he won. Maybe he would be allowed to rest longer than half a day. It might not happen but that was what he was hoping for._

_The ride home was quiet, usually Lotor and Zarkon would talk amongst themselves about one thing or another but this time there was nothing. It was too quiet. He was staring out the window, thinking of what it would be like to not be there but be back at the small village he grew up in. He kept himself masked, it wasn’t wise to show emotions in front of these two. They were very good at breaking someone down._

_Once they got to the house, Shiro headed back to his room in the basement, Zarkon was following him, no doubt getting ready to lock him in, like he always did. The man told him he would get the next day off but after that it was back to training and he better be training or else. Shiro already knew what the ‘or else’ was. He had dealt with that before, it wasn’t something that he wanted to go through again. The door slammed and he heard the door lock. He was stuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like that? I wanted it to be a twist to the story that made sense. I hope it was good. Also, do you love how much Shiro is in denial? I love it so much. Things will only get a little more complicated from here. See you next week!


	7. Lance's Concern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there everyone! 
> 
> For those of you that are off, how are you enjoying your vacation? For those of you who work, how are you enjoying the heat?
> 
> I'm not enjoying it but I do want to go to the beach soon. It would be nice to chill by the water, get some pizza or something. 
> 
> Anyway, here is the next chapter, I hope you like it!

Needless to say, Lance had gotten in trouble for not being in his room when he should have been. He lied and said he was in the library. Needless to say, no one believed him. They believed that he was out and about causing mayhem. They weren’t wrong but there was no way he was going to admit to that. His punishment was helping his father with some of his paperwork, and as much and Lance liked being around his father, there was a difference between his father and King Alfor. His father was patient with him and tried to be understanding. King Alfor, demanded perfection on the first try. So they had such a great time together. Lance regretted missing out on the fun stuff with Shiro. How he desperately wanted to be there rather than here.

They didn’t even finish before dinner was ready. Lance and Alfor were led to the personal dining room of the royal family. It was very ornate with white marble everywhere as well as the blue lighting that Lance was obsessed with. He saw that his mother and sister were already seated and waiting for them. When they joined the two, that was when the aperitif was served, usually it was just a bite of something to get the stomach ready to eat. Lance hated to be teased like this. But once he tasted Hunk’s cooking he knew he was going to be hungry for the second round. Once the aperitif was finished, the main course was served, It smelled heavenly to Lance and he couldn’t wait to dig in.

“So Lance, did you tell Father where you were last night?” Allura asked. 

Lance made a face and said, “I already told you all where I was. I spent the night in the library.”

“That’s a no then…” Allura trailed off.

Lance sent her a look, “I told you where I was and if you choose not to believe me, that’s not my fault.”

“My son, your father, sister and I were worried about you. No doubt you were at the library but still we can’t help but wonder if there was something else that happened that you don’t want us to know,” Ilia said softly.

It killed Lance to know that he was lying to his mother. When it came to his sister and his father, it was okay to lie to them. It wasn’t like they really cared what he was doing since he came back in one piece. But his mother? He knew that she would worry about him even on a normal day. He hated having to lie to her but it was necessary. He didn’t want anyone to get in trouble for what happened. Especially Shiro, who was just trying to do the right thing when it came to Lance getting his rest. He was very patient with him and for that, Lance was grateful. 

Dinner was quiet after that, Lance wasn’t interested in talking. He was still upset that he missed his riding lesson with Shiro. He didn’t want to miss that ever again. The next time they went out, Lance wasn’t going to drink that much so he could sneak back into his room when he got back at night. After dinner, he went on a walk. He managed to sneak into the dining hall and noticed that his group of friends were sitting together and talking. It looked like Keith was getting roasted and he wanted to see it so badly but he stayed away. He didn’t want to ruin their dinner. He left before anyone realized he was there.

He actually headed back to the library and pulled out one of the older books, it was his favorite, it was about the gods. He read it plenty of times but it never got old to him. His favorite story was how one of the gods who was known to be strong but mostly was the god of night. He watched over Altea and vowed to only descend on the planet when he finally found someone who was worth coming for. He smiled at the thought of a god coming for him and keeping him close. He wished it happened now that he had to get married. 

Once Lance was done with the book, he set it down and headed to his room. His room was filled with his signature blue including his bed sheets and the drapes that hung over his bed. He loved his room and everything about it. The bed itself was soft and comfortable enough. He loved the way he felt on this bed. It was as if he was sleeping on clouds. He was glad that no one was going to be bothering him, while he rested. Sleep didn’t take long to come to him. His dreams were strange but they usually were. He dreamed of being with Shiro, holding the other man in his arms, even if he didn’t understand why he was doing that in his dreams.

When he woke up in the morning, it was the usual schedule for him. He went to all of his lessons as usual, from dancing to etiquette, but he already knew all of the things they were teaching him. He gazed outside and noticed that his sister was riding a horse. That’s what he had wanted to do all day long. He wanted to be out there with the horses. Well, with Shiro too but that wasn’t something he was willing to be admitting any day now. 

During Lunch he snuck into the dining hall, wearing his plain clothes, and sat next to Hunk who was very happy to see him. He usually was the one he always wanted to see. Also Shay, she was such a nice girl who had such a great love for his best friend. He didn’t get to think about their love as he was suddenly hugged by Pidge and Matt, which was strange to say the least, he smiled as he reciprocated. Keith soon came in and with one look at Lance, was very unimpressed. Lance decided to hug him too which made everyone else but Keith laugh.

“Where’s Shiro?” Lance asked after a while of not seeing the other man appear.

Keith replied, “He sometimes skips lunch so he can finish his work faster. We usually send Matt to give him something to eat. Why? Are you worried about him?”

Lance was many things but he wasn’t a fool. He knew exactly what Keith was asking him. Was he worried? Yes. Did he have feelings for the stable hand? Of course not. They were friends and Lance worried about all of his friends. Hell, he even was worried about Keith most of the time. He was working for the woman that he liked, perhaps even loved, and that had to mess with someone. He knew that if he tried to get Keith to work with someone else, the guy would never forgive him. He also noticed everyone was staring at him, waiting for him to give his answer. He cursed Keith in his mind for asking such a question. 

“Yes I am concerned, people shouldn’t be skipping meals. Even if it’s so they could finish their work, It’s not right and I am not okay with that,” He replied standing up, he was going to have a conversation with Shiro.

He knew that Hunk could tell that Lance was going to be confrontational about it. So Hunk gave him something for Shiro and himself to eat. Since Lance hadn’t touched any of food on the table he was sure his buddy didn’t want him to be starving. Lance thanked him for the food in the basket before storming off to find Shiro. 

It actually wasn’t hard to find Shiro. He was the only one working during the lunch. He was cleaning out the stables and putting fresh hay in them. It looked like it was hard work but luckily it looked as if Shiro had one more stable to do. Lance stayed hidden and waited for the other man to finish the task. He didn’t want to keep him from doing his work. But in all honesty, Lance was getting tired just by watching him work; it was a lot the man had to do. Once Shiro was done, he was getting some water when Lance cleared his throat. The man turned around and tried to hide his surprise at seeing the prince standing there.

“Lance! What a surprise to see you here. What can I help you with?” He asked.

Lance handed him the basket and crossed his arms, “Why are you skipping meals?”

“Well-” Shiro began.

Lance cut him off again, “It doesn’t matter if you’re super busy, when it’s lunch time, you stop what you’re doing and get some lunch. I don’t want to hear from the others that you are not getting lunch when you’re supposed to. It’s not healthy! You have to eat and take a break before you hurt yourself.”

Shiro stared at him for the longest time. Lance was afraid that he had said too much already. He didn’t want the other man getting mad at him for being too forward with him. He was about to apologize when Shiro smiled at him and looked at the basket. He handed it back to Lance before going to wash his hands. He couldn’t eat with dirty hands. That was the last thing he needed to do before he motioned Lance to follow him to a sitting area. He followed the older man and sat down across from him with the basket in between them. Lance was nervous, it wasn’t that he had never eaten in front of other people before but this was Shiro and for some reason this man was different. 

“I think some of this food is for you too, I eat a good amount but it’s too much for me,” Shiro said.

Lance nodded, “Yes, some of it is for me. I wanted to make sure you ate so Hunk packed me some too.”

That was the biggest lie he had ever said to someone before but Shiro didn’t have to know that. Unlike his mother, Lance didn’t feel too bad about it. He smiled at the older man as they munched on the sandwiches. He wasn’t sure how Hunk was able to make something simple as a sandwich taste so good. It had to have been some form of magic, Lance thought to himself, there was no way he could just do that with his hands. When she shared his theory with Shiro, the man laughed and agreed and it filled Lance up with joy. There was something about his smile that just made Lance’s body and mind react to it. It was rather strange.

He said, “You know, you have the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.”

Light pink dusted on Shiro’s cheeks as he looked down to his lap and muttered a thank you. It seemed to Lance that the man wasn’t used to being complimented. He wanted to see what would happen if he went further but he decided to save that for another day. As much as he wanted to see a flustered Shiro, he figured he might be scared off with the sudden attention. So he held back, he didn’t want to ruin the friendship that they had made. 

So they had small talk. They spoke about their days and how Lance was in trouble for not being in his room when he should have been. He reassured Shiro that it wasn’t his fault when he saw guilt welling up in his eyes. He didn’t want the man to feel bad, he had kept Lance safe and even shared his bed and it was very nice of him. Even if it might not have been the most comfortable bed out there, Lance was horrified at the states of those beds when he woke up. When Allura became queen, he vowed to make her update the sleeping quarters. 

They spoke about Shiro and his work, which sounded mundane. It was a lot of hard work that Lance couldn’t wrap his head around. He thought he was a busy person, he could only imagine how busy Shiro was with all of the work he had to do. It seemed like he was the only stable hand they had when actually, there were several. Lance had seen a few of them walking around but it seemed like Shiro did most of the work. That might not be true but that’s how it looked like from his perspective. He wanted to tell the other stable hands to pick up some of the work they had Shiro doing just so the man could take it easy from time to time. But he thought otherwise, he didn’t want to make the other stable hands giving Shiro a hard time. That was the last thing he wanted. 

They parted ways after they ate, Lance promising to come back later. He was hopefull, still, that he would be good friends with Shiro. He smiled at the thought of Shiro laughing and that made him happy once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think?
> 
> I wanted to put a nice chapter before more craziness happens because there is a lot of craziness to come. Anyway, enjoy your week and enjoy season six when it comes out, I know I will!!!


	8. The Lake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello you guys! How are you?
> 
> I'm doing fine because I got rain! Precious rain is coming and it makes me happy. We really needed the rain to be honest with you, the ground is soaking it up like crazy. Anyway here is the next chapter, I hope you like it.

Shiro had been surprised when Lance showed up with lunch and demanded that he eat something. It wasn’t every day that the prince made you stop working and just to eat. At first it had freaked Shiro out, but then he thought it was rather endearing. He still didn’t understand why the prince was so concerned about his well being but he didn’t say anything about it. He was grateful that someone was worried about him at least. Though he was still laughing at the fact that Lance had come to him so upset that he was skipping meals, he didn’t even think that was possible for someone to care about that. 

The group didn’t seem to make a fuss about it. He knew that Hunk preferred that he came to have lunch with them but he didn’t say anything against it either. Shiro figured it was because he was still new to the group. The fact that Keith would come to eat even when it looked like he would rather be alone, said a lot about how the group wanted to be together all of the time. Would they ever accept him to be part of the group? He wasn’t sure if that was possible for him, but then he thought about the prince and that made him smile.

There was something about speaking to Lance often that made him excited to see him. There was also the fact that Lance was really embracing his lessons which made him very happy. Today they were going to go on a short ride together. It would be one of the first times the prince was going to be on a horse. Shiro did everything he could to prepare and even got the horse he was going to ride ready. His horse was pure black, it was a beautiful creature named Majestic. 

He was getting both horses saddled when Lance appeared. He was wearing his plain clothes again and some boots. He smiled at the young man as he was finishing getting the horses ready. He wanted everything to be perfect when they went on their ride today. Shiro knew of a lake that wasn’t far off the path they were going to take. It was still midday, and he figured a ride would be something the prince was going to need. He heard of the palace’s preparations for the suitors arriving rather soon. He was sure the prince was going to be stressed about it. Not that he was expecting Lance to open up to him about it. If he was, perfect but if he didn’t then that would be fine too.

“So where are we going?” Lance asked full of excitement in his voice. 

He responded, “It’s a surprise but don’t worry I know the way like the back of my hand.”

He knew that the prince trusted him and he wasn’t going to betray that trust. It wasn’t that people didn’t have faith or believe in Shiro, but at the same time he was sure they didn’t confide in him too much. Well, that was in the village, because once he got to the palace, he was trusted right away by everyone. It was strange to know that even the royal family allowed him near their prince. It was hard to believe but he didn’t let it get to him, he had to do his duty and teach this young man how to ride a horse. It wasn’t the hardest thing he had to do; Lotor was harder to teach than Lance was. Of course, Lance was also more willing to learn. 

Once Lance was ready and settled on Brutus, Shiro and Majestic began to trot away to the lake. Lance and Brutus caught up to them swiftly. He gave Shiro one of his bright smiles that always seemed to turn his mind into a pile of mush. He shook his head, trying not to let that happen to him. He was going to need to focus while he was riding with the prince. He seriously prayed that the other wasn’t going to say any bad jokes about riding something. Would it be too much to ask?

“Shiro, I didn’t think you would be so talented when it came to riding,” Lance joked. 

Apparently it was. Shiro sighed as Lance laughed. He had such contagious laughter that Shiro couldn’t help but laugh along with him. They shared a few jokes to one another each one worse than the last. It probably surprised Lance just how many bad jokes Shiro knew. He would never tell Lance that he learned them in the fighting arena. Sometimes when there were multiple fights going on at once, the fighters would be in the holding cells telling each other dirty jokes. Shiro learned many good ones while among those men. When he thought about it he missed a few of them. It was hard for him to move on when he knew that many others couldn’t because of him. 

“Shiro?” Lance asked with concern written all over his face.

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at the prince. He smiled and reassured him that nothing was wrong. Inwardly he was cursing himself; it wasn’t the first time that he had been in a daze when it came to his past. No matter how many times he tried to get it out of his head, he couldn’t. It haunted him and followed him around. It was as if he could never escape it and that made him miserable. He didn’t understand why it was like this. Perhaps it was naïve of him to think that he would be free of it all if he left. 

“It’s nothing, Lance,” He reassured, “Sometimes I get lost in my own thoughts. We’re almost to the lake. How are you holding up?”

The prince told him it was so far so good which put Shiro at ease. He didn’t want Lance to be uncomfortable while horseback riding. Though he found himself wondering what was going through Lance’s head as he was riding. He was talking about everything, from how pretty nature looked, to how his days have been in preparation to having the suitors over at the palace. It seemed like Lance wasn’t too crazy about having people that only wanted his sister or him for their titles. 

Though Shiro didn’t know what that felt like, he didn’t have any sort of title that anyone would want. No one really wanted to be with The Champion after all, they were afraid of getting hurt or killed. Not that he would have done that, he would be good to the person he chose to be with. He wanted to have someone who loved him regardless of his scars and past. He wanted someone he could open up to but he doubted he could find that. He doubted that anyone would have wanted him with all of his flaws. It was a hard fact to accept but he was going to accept it nonetheless.

When they reached the clearing, where the lake was, Shiro noticed that Lance was staring with wide eyes. He seemed very excited, so much that the young man practically jumped off his horse and ran over to the lake at full speed. The sight made Shiro laugh as he had never seen anyone so thrilled about going to a lake. He was reminded of a child, perhaps Lance didn’t really have the time to be a child when he was young. It was obvious that they didn’t have similar childhoods. Shiro’s used to go to the lake in the summer to swim and in the winter to ice skate. His childhood was also spending time with his mother and neighborhood friends to play with. Those were the moments that Shiro was fond of thinking about, maybe he was over glorifying it but he didn’t care if he was or wasn’t.

The thought that Prince Lance didn’t have the same sort of childhood was heartbreaking. He could tell that the palace wasn’t exactly child friendly. He wondered how many times Lance got to play with his friends, how much trouble they got into and how the arguments were dealt with. He knew how his mother had dealt with things like that, she was strict but she understood children the best. Was Queen Ilia just as understanding? Bt the way people made her out to be it sounded like it. Still, he wished he knew what life as a child of royalty was like. Perhaps one day he would ask Lance, if he felt they were close.

“How did you know about this place?” Lance asked. 

Shiro replied, “To be completely honest, I found it by accident but it’s my favorite place to go when I need to clear my head.”

It was true when Shiro said he discovered this place by accident, it happened the night he left from Zarkon’s house. One of the many servants that worked for Zarkon had made a copy of the key that kept Shiro locked in the basement at night. When the servant freed him, he did the only thing he could think of: run. Of course, he had been given some provisions that kept good for a few days. His original plan was to leave the kingdom and go into one of the minor ones, then he saw the lake and how secluded it was and stayed there for a while. Once he had rested up enough, then he applied for work in the castle and got approved.

As far as he knew, no one knew this clearing with the lake had even existed. Now he was going to share this place with Lance. He wasn’t sure exactly why he felt that he needed to show him this place. Was it because they both needed a place somewhere away from everything to think? Shiro could take a nap here if he really wanted to, but he decided that wouldn’t be wise. Prince Lance was getting ready to jump in the lake and someone needed to make sure he didn’t drown. He tied the horses to the nearest tree, and then walked toward the lake. He wasn’t going to jump in, unless Lance was in trouble, he sat instead near the bank, watching as Lance swam.

The prince had tried his best to coax him to join him, to which he refused. It caused Lance to pout and swim over there where he was at to keep him company. Lance smiled at him as he placed his arms on the bank. For the first time since Shiro had met him, Lance looked thoroughly relaxed. His eyes weren’t dull as they used to be. His smile wasn’t forced as it had come off a few times when they would speak to one another. It was a refreshing change in the prince that had Shiro wondering where this Prince Lance had been. Perhaps he was wrong in thinking Lance didn’t have a childhood, maybe he was still living in it. The thought made him smile; it was purely innocent of the young man.

“I wish I had known about this place sooner, I would have loved to be here whenever I needed time to think,” Lance said. 

Shiro nodded, “That’s exactly how I felt when I stumbled upon it. If you really like it here, I’m sure you can come back we can keep riding here until you memorize the way and then you can come here by yourself. Though, we might bump into each other, if you don’t mind that part.”

“Why would I mind that? I would love to come here and clear my thoughts with you. You’re probably the calmest person I have ever met,” He said.

Shiro blinked, never hearing that before from someone. His mother was a calming presence so he likely inherited it from her. He thanked the prince, still surprised that someone said something like that to him. He supposed it was because Zarkon treated him like some sort of animal or monster that he freaked out when someone gave him a compliment. It helped him discover one thing that the people in the villages didn’t seem to get. Prince Lance was pure, nice, kind and caring over everyone. Sure he had his moments where he was playful and said thing he probably shouldn’t have. All in all, Lance was perfect and wonderful according to Shiro and he would defend the prince no matter what.

Right now, at the lake with him, Shiro was positive about one thing and one thing only. He would sacrifice himself if it meant that Lance didn’t have to marry Lotor. He couldn’t explain why he was so fervent on keeping Lance away from Lotor but that’s what he felt he needed to do. He needed to keep Lance just like this, carefree and happy. Who knows what would happen if Lotor got a hold of the prince? What if that bright smile that Prince Lance had was gone? 

Shiro didn’t want to think about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this the way Shiro falls in love? I think so! We'll see in other chapters how this is going to develop more. I hope you liked it and thank you to all of those who have subscribed, commented, gave kudos and read this. It means a lot to me. Thank you so much!!


	9. The Mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> June is almost over, happy birthday to all of the June babies out there! It's actually my cousin's birthday and I wished him happy birthday. He lives like ten hours away from me and it makes me sad. I miss him like crazy. Anyway next week is July and that means my birthday is coming up on the 17th! I'm getting super old but still excited. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

The lake had been exactly what Lance had needed. The next day, he was smiling and so relaxed; he couldn’t wait to go back to the lake again. Even his lessons felt easier to him for some reason. His family wasn’t complaining about this, in fact, they were happy that he even had energy to do anything at all. They wanted to thank Shiro for teaching their son how to ride a horse. Now when Lance was bored, he would retreat to the stabled and hangout with Brutus who got excited when he saw him. Seeing the horse perk up at him made Lance happy, having a friend that he could rely on being there when he needed him.

Lance was glad to have a refuge to go to now. He was happy to know when things got hectic that he had a place to run to and think out all of his thoughts. Plus, with all of the pressure that was adding up on him, he knew that something was going to give and he was going to visit the lake. They would most likely go there while the suitors were visiting, even if he didn’t like that fact, not even one bit. A part of him wondered what his father and Allura were thinking when they came up with it. He made a face just at the thought of strange people that he didn’t even know trying to win his heart. The thought made him sick. These people weren’t going to want anything to do with him, not really, only for his title and that wasn’t something Lance had ever wanted when it came to finding a spouse.

Then there was Shiro and Lance didn’t know what to make of the other man. Sure he was very handsome and sweet but there seemed to be something that he was holding back. Not that it was any of his business, Shiro’s past was his own thing, and he didn’t have to tell anyone about it. It was hard for Lance to want to know more about the other man but unable to do anything about it. It wasn’t like he could go up to Shiro while he was working and say: “Hey Shiro! How are you? Listen, do you have any deep, dark secrets from your past that you are willing to share with me?” Yeah, like saying that would do any good...

But Lance was curious and he hated when he was so curious about someone. It meant there would be nothing in his way to get what he wanted. But something was stopping him, afraid he was going to find out be something that would change the way he saw Shiro. Though he knew it was silly and that nothing could possibly do that, he still wondered about a few things. The first thing was the scar across the bridge of his nose. How on Altea did he get that? The second thing was related to when they were in the pub and the guy that was being too touchy with Lance. The man had said Shiro looked like someone he knew. Shiro played it off really well but there was something in his eyes that told him otherwise.

It was very intriguing to know someone he trusted was hiding something from everyone. He wanted to know and he wanted to know why of all things Shiro wanted to be a stable hand. With his build and all of that, he could have become a knight. Keith was a scrawny little thing and he managed to become a knight so Shiro would be such an asset. It was simply strange to him and he didn’t understand just who Takashi Shirogane was. What was also strange was why he wanted to know more about the man. He had never experienced being with someone that he wanted to know everything about. He didn’t even care all that much when it came to him and Nyma.

He had been so distracted about it all day that during dinner his family was worried about him. He liked to talk to them and share things, so for the first time since ever when he was at dinner and he didn’t speak a word to any of them; his family thought something was wrong. Ilia and Alfor tried to press Lance into participating in the conversation but Allura stopped them from pursuing the matter any further, though she also looked worried. She reasoned that they needed to give him his space if they ever hoped for him to ever come to them in the future. They agreed and reluctantly dropped the discussion. Lance was grateful but he knew that his sister Allura was going to question him about it in her own way. He figured that he was going to need to get that over with sooner or later, so he wasn’t surprised when while he was getting ready for bed, Allura came to his room.

“Lance, I would like to talk to you about what happened at dinner,” She said.

He knew that his sister was a pushy person, he just never thought he had to deal with it firsthand. He sighed and let her in the room, knowing that just like him, she wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted from him. He hated and loved that about her, mostly because they got that from their father. When he was curious about something, nothing would stop Alfor from getting what he wanted. He was positive that his father was bound to be happy that both his children stopped at nothing when it came to finding out the truth.

He sighed, “There really isn’t anything for you to be worried about. I simply had a lot on my mind. Soon, the suitors will be coming from all over to win us over. Well, you over.”

“I know you’re not happy about any of that. But I know you and I know that wasn’t on your mind. You would be more vocal about it,” She said. 

If there was one thing he would change about Allura was the fact that she always knew when he was hiding something. Even when they were kids, she would just know if there was something wrong with her little brother. It’s what made her a great sister but it was also what made her a pain in the ass. It was endearing at the best of times and annoying at the worst. Where was Lance? He was somewhere in the middle of feeling loved and being annoyed. He knew that Allura would know that yet she insisted on finding out what was going on. He was positive she was going to tell their parents whatever he said so he had to choose his words wisely. 

He said, “There is nothing physically wrong with me, sister. I’m simply worried about someone I care about deeply. There is something about them I want to know more about them but I have no way to do so.”

He didn’t think those words would leave his mouth, but they did and he wasn’t sure if he could take them back now. He noted the way his sister stared at him. It was as if she wanted to say something but she was contemplating if she should or not. Lance was waiting for her to come out and tell him what was on her mind. It wasn’t like her to even think about holding back from him. He looked behind her and noticed Keith was there. He was also giving him a strange look. He wanted to scoff and take it all back but though Shiro was nowhere around him, He felt like he couldn’t do that to the other man. 

“All I want is for you to be careful. I know how reckless you can be when it comes to something you care about. But I do recommend that if you want to find out more about a person, I suggest you go to the archives next to the library. Just remember that whatever you find out, you can talk to me about. Keith, go with him,” Allura said before she took her leave.

So that was how Lance and Keith ended up looking over birth records and family records desperately searching for one name: Shirogane. It took some time and it took some bickering between the two of them. The first surprise they encountered wasn’t Shiro’s birth record, but Keith’s. Lance was excited because he was so going to pick on the knight. That was when he looked at the parents names; he didn’t pay attention to Keith’s father’s name. He was more surprised when he discovered Keith’s mother’s name – Krolia. As in Countess Krolia, Lance double checked to make sure but he couldn’t mistake that signature of hers. The only reason he remembered her so much was because she taught him self defense before she was poisoned. No one ever figured out who was behind it. There were rumors that it was Zarkon but it could never be proved. 

“Keith! Your mother…she’s Countess Krolia! Do you know what this means?” Lance asked excitedly.

Keith did a double take, “Wait, my mom is a countess? How come I’ve never seen her at court before?”

“Someone poisoned her… but this means that you have noble blood! You can try to go for my sister’s hand after all. She needs to marry someone of noble blood, it doesn’t say they need a title! You can marry my sister. I would prefer you over anyone else if I am being honest,” Lance said excitedly.

Keith sat down on the floor for a moment before saying, “This is a lot to take in. My mother was killed and she was a countess… Okay. I’ll try for her hand. With my birth certificate, I have proof. But I’m going to need help.”

“I’m sure everyone will be more than happy to help! We can probably get Shay to make you some outfits and I will teach you some things you have to know if you’re going to survive these few weeks,” He said.

Keith snorted at that but refrained from saying anything else which made Lance grateful. He might not have been Allura but he was a prince in his own right. He was more than happy to help Keith become the person that his sister picked. He smiled and couldn’t wait to tell Coran about the good news. He was sure the man would be more than willing to help as well. Of course, they would leave the wardrobe choices up to Shay, if there was anyone else of impeccable tastes, Lance had no idea who they were. Plus, Coran wasn’t exactly the best person to make fashion choices, though no one would ever dare to not tell the man that. The last thing they needed was for Coran to have a heart attack right in court. 

They kept searching through the records, finding everyone they were ever curious about including Hunk. They even found Allura’s and his which was funny to look at. It made lance smile and almost forget what he had come down here to look for. That was when they stumbled on it, Keith was the one who found it first. Lance practically came running toward the knight and peered behind him.

There it was.

Takashi Shirogane, as was his birthday, February 29th. Lance wouldn’t have bothered looking at it any further when Keith muttered under his breath that something was wrong. The prince then looked down at the record, Keith wasn’t lying. Right underneath the date of birth was the date of death. But that didn’t make any sense, unless Lance and everyone else were talking to a zombie, Shiro was very much still alive. From what the record said, it looked as if Shiro had died when he was sixteen. None of that seemed to add up. Lance looked over at Keith before writing down the information before digging even further. He looked up more details about the Shiro’s death when he stumbled on who reported it: Lord Zarkon. Why would he know and report of a death that didn’t happen? He was sure that asking Shiro wouldn’t be helpful, since he probably didn’t know that he was supposed to be dead. Still, he couldn’t help but think this and Krolia’s death were connected somehow. He needed to gather more information before he presented it to his father.

“Will you come back with me another day so we can figure out why Zarkon decided to report Shiro as deceased?” Lance asked.

Keith nodded and said, “Yeah, I want to get to the bottom of my mother’s death as well. So I’ll be coming back here. You help me and I’ll help you?”

“Deal, also, I think no one else should know about what we found out about Shiro until later. If you want to keep yours a secret too you can but it is entirely up to you,” Lance said.

Keith replied, “I think so too. We can talk about mine. If we find anyone’s reaction different, then we can make a note of it to ask for later.”

They made the pact and left the archives, Lance let Keith lead him to his rooms. Now that they both knew something they probably shouldn’t know, it was going to be hard to trust everyone else with what they found out. Their lives weren’t as safe as they previously were but little did they know that they stumbled upon the beginning of something more sinister than what they were expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness! So Shiro is dead? and Keith's mother was a noblewoman? What is the world coming too? 
> 
> I hope you liked the little twists, I wanted to do something that was interesting.Thank you so much for reading and following this fic so far. It really makes me happy. Thanks again and see you next week.


	10. The Day Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here is the next chapter, I hope you like it.

The morning was rather calm as sunlight began to pour through the kingdom. The townspeople were barely getting up to start their day. There wasn’t a care in the world for those first few hours. The beauty of Altea really began to make things look so serene. Then, people started to talk about how it was the day before the suitors were supposed to make their way to the palace. There were rumors that Countess Krolia had a son who was going to try for Princess Allura’s hand. Everyone was excited at the thought of that, since Countess Krolia had passed away several years ago. No one knew that she had a child, since she was a private noblewoman, and people were imagining that the young man was probably looked exactly like his mother.

Some other folks were wondering what was in store for Prince Lance. He wasn’t exactly like his sister after all, they wondered who was going to show up to try for his hand. The invitations had gone out three weeks ago and everyone was curious to see who got one. People were wondering who was going to accept the invitation and go for Prince Lance over Princess Allura. Sure, they might not have been very nice to Prince Lance in that aspect but what could they do? Still, would there be a good amount of people for the prince? That was what everyone wanted to know. What was going to happen? Everyone was dying to know for all of the wrong reasons. 

In the palace, things were different; it was more like a controlled chaos. Servants were running from left to right, from one part of the palace to the other. All of the guests’ rooms were going to be cleaned and ready to house everyone for at least several weeks. Of course, the king promised that slowly but surely the list of people were going to trickle down until there were only a handful of suitors left for the princess and the prince. Not that the servants minded, it had been years since the guest rooms were used. It was nice to see more life coming back into the palace. 

Princess Allura had been up since dawn, planning the events with her father of what was going to happen. She was very diligent in what activities she wanted, to keep their guests entertained, and how they were going to eliminate the people slowly. She had come up with the best idea for the first night. She was going to send Matt and Pidge to knock on every suitor’s door and ask them if there was anything they could do for them to make them comfortable. The very uptight ones were going to be sent away the next morning while the others who were more polite were going to stay. It was a fool proof plan according to Allura for the first round. The next ones were going to be harder and harder so she and her family could see what these suitors were really made of. 

Prince Lance had woken up later, not really wanting to plan for the events for his suitors. Not that he thought there would be many for him anyway; instead he took a long bath and got ready for his day slowly. It was going to be the last night he was going to sleep in and have the pleasure of getting ready by himself. He didn’t want to think about that for the moment, he had things he needed to do. Making his way to the library, he wasn’t surprised when he was the only one they were waiting on. Before him were Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Shay, Matt and Pidge. He smiled at them and whished them a good morning. Hunk had brought them all breakfast and pulled it out when the prince joined the group. Everyone was grateful because they were all starving.

“Okay so plan for Keith to marry my sister is a go. I got him on the main list of suitors for her, once I proved to my father that Keith was Countess Krolia’s son, it was easy to get him on the list,” Lance said taking a sip of his orange juice.

It wasn’t as hard as he made it seem to be. King Alfor had his suspicions before his son had presented Keith as a suitor. It was only after seeing the proof that the king decided to give the knight the chance. It was a good victory. Soon everyone would know just who Countess Krolia’s son was. Lance was more than positive that Keith was going to get some fangirls by the end of this. He was so broody most of the time but he also was the only one who liked Allura’s mice so that test was going to be okay. He smiled brightly at the thought of the other noble men screaming at the sight of the mice. It took a strong person to take a mouse in their hands, imagine taking about five of them. He knew it was bound to be a great time.

“I still can’t believe Keith is nobility,” Hunk said in awe.

Pidge retorted, “If only that would teach Keith table manners. I feel sorry for Shay and Shiro trying to teach him how to eat like a noble man.”

“Which gets to the main thing, how do you even know that, Shiro?” Matt asked.

Everyone was curious about how Shiro knew about etiquette, but no one bothered asking him up front about it. Everyone was sure that Shay knew proper etiquette because she would always listen in on Lance lessons on the subject. It always made Lance smile, brightly at the thought of how much his lessons helped others. If it wasn’t for that, he would have to have been the one to teach Keith and that wouldn’t have ended well. Lance was sure the pair of them would have killed one another.

Shiro laughed lightly and said, “My mother was very fervent on me knowing proper etiquette. I wasn’t raised by wolves, like Keith was apparently.”

“I was raised by a farmer!” Keith exclaimed. 

The group began laughing and tried to get further into their plan. It made the prince smile at everyone, but his gaze lingered over the stable hand. It was curious as to why he would know etiquette but Lance didn’t bother to question it. He was grateful that Keith actually learned how to be a gentleman but all of that would be determined tomorrow when Keith would present himself as a suitor for Allura. Luckily Lance was going to be with him so he wasn’t going to be screwing up any day soon now. Since Lance had added him on the list, the prince was going to present Keith to Allura, saying this was his pick for his sister. Likewise, Allura could do the same thing to him but he doubted that she was going to actually do it. She seemed pretty much okay with not picking someone for her brother.

“But in all seriousness guys, thank you so much for all your help, it means a lot to me. I couldn’t have done it without you,” Keith said. 

At that Hunk started to get emotional and wanted to cry. It took everything in their power to console the young man. Shay needed to do some final fittings on Keith therefore, after they had breakfast; she took Keith to try on more clothes. Hunk left to prepare for the feast tomorrow night. Pidge and Matt went to go help the other servants. Which left Lance and Shiro by themselves, not that the pair really minded being alone with one another. Lance was curious about Shiro after everything he found out about the man. It made him want to know more about him and he wanted to share parts of himself as well. It was a strange feeling that Lance didn’t know what to make of it but he decided to roll with it.

The pair decided to go to the lake, it was such a calming place that Lance would give anything to go back and relax with his horse, Brutus. The ride over there was nice, he liked that they had time to do this. It was probably going to be one of the last days for Lance. Unless he didn’t get any suitors, which wouldn’t be too much of a problem for the prince, he didn’t really want anyone trying to fight for his hand. He would figure out who he was going to choose on his own. Lance was rather independent on that subject. He didn’t want someone making a claim to him like he was some sort of trophy. It’s what was occupying his mind for the majority of the ride, not that Shiro said anything about it. He was thinking about other things as well. It was once they made it to the lake that Lance decided to break the silence. 

“We’re both awfully quiet today. Do you think it has something to do with the fact after tomorrow things are going to be different?” He asked.

Shiro shrugged, “I think that sometimes change is what’s needed to bring things into clarity. That’s what my parents used to tell me. Do you want to talk about what’s on your mind? If not, it’s fine.”

“I don’t mind talking about it, I just think that this is something like this, the suitors and all. I hate that Allura and I are going to be like prizes for these self-entitled nobles who think this would be the right way to try to win us over. Maybe it would work with Allura, which is why I wanted Keith to join in on the competition. Maybe it would prove to the others that it would take time rather than taking nothing at all. I don’t know, I want my sister happy and I think Keith is probably one of the only people out there that could do it. He even likes her mice! How perfect is that?” Lance said, finally taking a breath.

Shiro nodded and said, “Well you’re not wrong about Keith and Princess Allura. They seem to complement each other well from the little I’ve seen about them. What about you? Is there anyone that you are interested in at the moment? Anyone that you think you can complement with?”

Lance sighed; there was no one he wanted to mesh with. Well, no one that wasn’t attainable, if he was being honest. The prince hadn’t found anyone that he wanted to get to know better, aside from Shiro, but it wasn’t as if Lance could go out and say it. There was also the fact that he had no idea about how he felt about the man. There was so much he wanted to know and there was no time to ask about it. Shiro was a private person, even when they were dancing at the pub together it was still the same. He was sure that Keith was only teasing but it really felt like the other teen was serious about it. Maybe he was but there was no way that Shiro would ever want to go for someone like him. 

On the other hand, Shiro was thinking something similarly. He knew that he had too many secrets but if he told them all, he was afraid of being rejected. He didn’t want that, he didn’t want anyone especially Lance to think of him as some blood thirsty underground fighter. First of all, there was the fact that underground fighting was illegal in Altea and he didn’t want to go to jail for something he hadn’t even wanted to do in the first place. He was told that even the fighters would go to jail for participating, he was surprised that he didn’t get caught since he practically had a fight every single night. There were times that he wished he got caught just to be able to stop. He wanted to talk about it but one look at Lance and the words froze in his throat. There was no way he could drag anyone as sweet and pure as the prince into his dark secrets. 

Meanwhile, Keith was having the time of his life trying on clothes. He hated the fact that there were so many layers of clothes but, luckily for him, it was all in his signature red. He was bound to stick out at the party tomorrow. Looking in the mirror, He tried to hide his nervousness. What if Allura didn’t want him to be there? He didn’t know what he was going to do if that happened. He didn’t want to mess up and needless to say, he didn’t want to let Lance down. He would never want to say that to the prince, he would rather die than admit something like that to Lance. When he brought it up to Shay, she started laughing and reassuring him that Lance wouldn’t exploit that. Keith only grumbled in reply which made Shay laugh even harder. 

“You’re going to be fine Keith,” She said fussing over his outfit, “Princess Allura is going to be surprised and accept you as one of her suitors right away. It’s Lance that we’re going to worry about when it comes to finding a spouse. Knowing him, he might reject every suitor that comes for him.”

He nodded, “That’s true and that’s the last thing the kingdom needs. Or else, Zarkon and Lotor have won and that is not something I want.”

“Me neither, the only throne room I want them to sit in is the one that has to be cleaned every day,” She said. 

Keith laughed, “That’s something I can agree with.”

When she was done with her fussing, he got the chance to look at himself in the mirror. He almost didn’t recognize himself. He smiled shyly, not used to being dressed in such fine clothes before. Though he did wear his armor most of the day he was shocked that underneath the bulky armor was himself in a way he seldom saw. He wondered briefly if his parents were watching down at him. Were they proud of him? Would his mother want to say he was her son? What about his father? He moved around and decided that he was happy with it. He looked over at Shay and smiled.

“Let’s show these nobles how it’s done,” He said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and supporting this work! It means a lot to me.


	11. Show Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Sorry I didn't post yesterday. It was my birthday and I was out with friends all day. But here is the chapter and I hope you guys like it.

Today was the day and Lance was in a tizzy trying to get everything ready and perfect for the ceremony. Basically, he had to be perfect and needed to show off just a bit. He smiled at the thought of turning down people but he needed to accept some, he couldn’t be seen as he wasn’t trying. Most importantly, today he was going to be presenting Keith today to Allura. He had to admit that he was probably only excited for that part. The servants were getting the prince ready which was something he couldn’t complain about .He trusted these ladies and smiled at them while talking to them and making them laugh at stories of his not so happy moments. He grinned from ear to ear, while he looked in the mirror; he was dressed in his signature blue. It brought out his eyes, as he claimed.

Once he was done, he went to check in on Keith, who was busy getting bathed by Shiro while Shay was setting aside the outfit. Matt and Pidge decided to show up sometime later with breakfast sent by Hunk. This time, it was hand held foods and fruits. It made Lance relax to know that he was going to be eating this morning instead of skipping a meal. He was going to have to thank Hunk for that later. He just wasn’t sure exactly how he was going to do it. 

Shay didn’t let him go to visit Keith while in the bath. He was splashing too much and he was going to get Lance’s outfit dirty. Lance had rolled his eyes at that but knew better than to go against Shay. When Keith finally came out he looked like a drowned and harassed rat, it made Lance want to laugh as he lounged on a stool the best he could. He couldn’t afford to get his cape wrinkled or his sash. The servants that dressed him would want to kill him if he dared mess up his clothes. He watched Keith getting dried off and his hair getting fluffy, it was the best sight to see.

“Why are you even here, Shiro? Shouldn’t you be taking care of horses or something?” Keith asked.

Shiro said, “Since no one was going to use the horses today and we cleaned the stalls yesterday, we have the day to ourselves. Plus, Shay asked me to help you get ready, I couldn’t exactly say no to her.”

That was when Shiro looked up and noticed Lance. Lance paused at what he was doing and smiled at him. He usually dressed down when he was around his friends so he was sure that they were shocked to see him like this. Even Matt and Pidge held back from saying anything crude about his state of dress. It made him want to beam at the thought that they actually saw him like a prince and not like Lance for once. 

“You look fancy,” Keith said simply.

Lance nodded, “It’s called being a prince and being fancy and all of that.”

“Well I think Lance looks great,” Shiro said, “Or shall I say Prince Lance looks great.”

Lance looked down at himself while Shay fussed over Keith. She wanted him to be perfect and the closer he got to that want, the better he was going to look. She asked Lance what he thought about certain choices and he would give his opinion. He had offered to help her several times but each time she said he couldn’t move a muscle in fear of wrinkling something and the last thing he wanted was to wrinkle and then everyone get mad at him for it. He was still scared that the servants who dressed him were watching him.

“It must be hard to want to do things but not being allowed to,” Shiro said.

Lance replied, “Yeah but that comes with the whole territory of being a royalty, getting ready fast and then the waiting.”

“I can only imagine how it must have felt when you were a kid,” Shiro said.

Lance shrugged, “It was boring but it was something I got used to.”

If Lance wanted to say more, he didn’t get to. Keith was ready to be presented to the world as the son of the Countess Krolia. He looked rather nervous but the red outfit seemed to make him look regal enough. Lance stood up and circled around Keith. He was sure that this was getting Keith nervous but he wanted to make sure everything was perfect for when Allura got to see Keith for the first time. It was that official meeting that would make and break this entire plan. They had to be careful at what they were going to do when Keith was presented in front of the entire court by Lance. Of course, Lance wasn’t going to tell Keith that. He didn’t want the other boy to get a heart attack and collapse before he got to do the presenting.

“You look presentable,” He said softly, “as long as no one screws this up for us, this might actually have potential.”

Keith scoffed, “I feel like a cupcake.”

“True, but still, you want to impress Allura enough to accept you as her suitor don’t you?” Lance asked.

When Keith didn’t say anything, Lance took it as a victory. He motioned the other to go with him, he glanced at the clock, and was satisfied they seemed to have wasted enough time for the festivities to begin. The suitors for Allura probably already began to arrive and present themselves. They needed to get there with time if they were going to present Keith. Now they didn’t sprint, but they did walk fast to the grand ballroom and sure enough, there was already a long line forming. They followed protocol and got in line. Most of the suitors were giving them wired looks, at least until they recognized who Lance was. 

The line only got bigger and Lance was grateful they left when they did. Sure, he wanted to talk to Shiro more, but he had to do this for Keith and for Allura’s happiness. If it were entirely up to him, no one else would be competing for Allura’s hand. He was patient and waited for their turn, knowing full well that he was going to be the one to drop a bombshell on everyone. When they were finally announced, Lance strode up to where his sister was and gave a curt bow before speaking. He was no longer Lance that just joked around and played with everyone. He was Prince Lance and everyone was going to see just how princely he can be.

“Sister, I present to you Sir Keith Kogane as my pick for your suitor. He is the only son of Countess Krolia therefore able to compete for your hand. Over the years, Sir Kogane has done everything in his power to keep you safe as your knight. If you let him be your suitor, he will show you what other talents and skill sets he has,” Lance said. 

Allura was surprised and the courtiers were talking amongst themselves. It seemed like no one had ever thought the countess had a son. But people were whispering to one another at just how much like Krolia he looked. Lance kept his gaze at his sister as she thought out what she was making up her mind. She then nodded and offered her hand to Keith, a gesture that she used when she approved of someone as her suitor. Keith took her hand and he kissed it, bowing deeply in the process before going with the other chosen suitors. 

With that over and done with, Lance stayed at his sister side and greeted suitors who were after her. Not surprisingly, there wasn’t anyone wanting to be Lance’s suitor. Some of the men that got rejected by Allura tried to reason with Lance as a last ditch effort but were also rejected by the prince. He wasn’t going to have a second hand suitor. It seemed sudden but towards the end there were suitors for him. The first one to present herself was Lady Acxa, she was pretty. Lance accepted her easily enough by taking her hand and kissing it. After her was Lady Ezor, to which Lance also accepted. He didn’t accept Ladies Zethrid and Narti because something didn’t feel right about them. Thinking back, he probably shouldn’t have accepted Acxa and Ezor as well.

The last person to present themselves was Lotor. He walked in as graceful as ever, looking very well dressed and mannered. Lance was confused. First, why was he here in the first place? He was the reason that all of this was happening. He would be foolish trying to go for Allura, she would turn him down in an instant, considering just how many suitors she had. He didn’t think his sister was even going to acknowledge his presence. He could hear the other courtiers whispering among themselves. This was going to be some sort of spectacle and Lance wanted to have front row seats to it all. He stood there, with Allura, waiting for the man to get close enough to speak to them. 

“I’m surprised you had the gall to come,” Allura said.

Lotor smirked and gave a bow before saying, “Well I also received an invitation so how could I resist trying to court the one person I have always been so fascinated about.”

“Well unfortunately for you, Allura has more than enough suitors. She doesn’t need you,” Lance said.

That was when the weirdest thing happened, Lotor began to chuckle. Lance and Allura glanced over at each other confused as to what was going on. Lotor was going to try to get with Allura, right? Lance glanced over at the other suitors and locked eyes with Keith. Keith didn’t look so surprised that Lotor was laughing at the thought of being with Allura. Lance wondered why. Why wouldn’t Lotor want to get with his sister when she is the heir? Who else would Lotor want to try to get with? Lance made a face at the thought of why Keith wasn’t worried about Lotor. It couldn’t be true.

Lotor replied, “That would be quite unfortunate if I were to court Princess Allura, alas I am not. The person I’m fascinated about and I want to court is you Prince Lance. Will you grant me the permission to show you that I am not the person everyone makes me out to be? You should know what it’s like when people have misconceptions about you.”

The whispers got louder and Keith shot him a look that said not to accept him. Lance didn’t know what to do. He wanted to do what was right Lotor was right about one thing, he knew what it was like for people to say things about him that weren’t true. A part of him wanted to say forget it to Lotor and walk out of the room. But would that be what he should do? Probably not, he had already said no to two suitors out of four in total. He knew that he didn’t have much to play with at this point. He didn’t need to have specific number of people but still, he was sure that if he told Lotor no, there was bound to be repercussions. Most of those in the form of Zarkon wondering if they were saying no just to be spiteful, he didn’t want to bring that kind of drama to his family. Plus, how did Lotor even get one of those letters? It was like everyone but him knew something. 

He glanced over at his family, Allura was surprised, but she didn’t carry herself like she wanted him to say no. Nor did his father, who left him confused, what did they want him to do then? He tried to catch his breath that he seemed not to have. He made a face and thought about what he wanted to do versus what he needed to do. If he hadn’t said no to Zethrid and Narti, he would have had a better position to say no. Technically, he could still say no, claiming that he only liked women but then he would have to pick between the two ladies. With nothing else to do, he came to his choice. 

With the shock of everyone in the room, he offered his hand to Lotor, symbolizing that he was accepted as one of the suitors. Lotor had smirked and took his hand and kissed it, bowing deeply at him. Lance couldn’t help but think the man was mocking him in some way. After he left to join the other suitors, then everything went back to normal. Alfor announced the rules and how if suitors didn’t pass the test then they would be sent home. At the masquerade ball, Allura would announce who she had chosen to be her spouse. Lotor asked when Lance would announce who he had chosen to which Alfor said it would be whenever the prince chose to do so. Like that didn’t bring more trouble to Lance. Still, he could claim he’s going to marry someone that didn’t put themselves forward as a proper suitor. At least Lance had that going for him. Still, something told him that wasn’t going to work when it came to Lotor.

He felt uneasy when everything was said and done. Going back to his rooms, things didn’t feel okay for him. Lance didn’t like the feelings he had. He didn’t trust Lotor and was surprised when his family didn’t yell at him for accepting him. Did they like the man or was there something else in play that he didn’t know about? Whatever it was he wished it would be over. Lance didn’t want any of this to begin with so what the hell was going on? He hated this, all of it and he didn’t want to be a part of it. But he didn’t really have a choice in that. When he got ready for bed he couldn’t help but want everything to be nothing but a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it was expected but still little unexpected right? Have a great day guys!


	12. The Plan Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, until further notice, I'm going to be updating once every two weeks until I establish a back log again. I know that might be annoying for some of you but with school starting in September, thats what I'm going to have to do. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience but I promise as soon as I get a good backlog, I'll update more frequently.

Word traveled fast throughout the palace. Lotor was going to be one of Prince Lance suitors. The moment Shiro heard about it, he could hardly believe Lance could even accept Lotor in the first place. He figured that the prince wouldn’t have let that happen. He was surprised still that Lotor even offered himself as one of Lance’s suitors. Lotor hated Lance from what Shiro remembered, so it didn’t make any sense, yet at the same time it was the only thing that did. Princess Allura could say no, claiming she had more than enough suitors, but Prince Lance couldn’t because not many people would wanted to be his suitor.

Shiro wasn’t sure how he was going to pull it off working and avoiding Lotor. The thought made him anxious, the gods above had to help him at least. He considered running away but there was no way he could do that. He liked it here, he liked working here and where else could he go? Not many places would hire someone like him. Plus, there’s the risk that someone would recognize him and tell Zarkon. He knew for sure that it was going to be a long night. He was going to get ready for bed when there was knock on the door. Shiro glanced at the clock and then opened the door to see Keith of all people.

“Shouldn’t you be resting for tomorrow?” Shiro asked.

Keith shrugged, “I couldn’t sleep. Do you mind if I come in?”

Shiro nodded and let him in, wondering why Keith couldn’t sleep. He understood why he, himself couldn’t sleep, but Keith? He was also in the guest bedrooms, that bed must be comfortable. Not that his bed wasn’t, but he figured the guestrooms had better ones. It would be foolish if they didn’t, either way he sat down on his bed and looked over at Keith who was looking out the window, lost in thought. It wasn’t like Shiro wasn’t going to be able to sleep but he also wanted to know what had Keith awake.

Finally Keith said, “I’m worried for Lance. I know that Lotor is up to something and whatever his plan is, I want to figure it out but I can’t do it alone. I need everyone’s help. I know that Hunk and Shay aren’t going to be able to, but Matt and Pidge should help and you could help.”

“You think I can do something?” He asked.

Shiro couldn’t imagine why Keith was insisting that he could help. There was no way he could do anything to help Lance from this predicament. This was against Lotor, not many people could go against him and come out okay. Plus, there was also the fact that he wasn’t supposed to be at the Palace. Even if he wanted to he couldn’t get involved, it would ruin everything he had done so far. He wanted to tell Keith these things but he knew he shouldn’t. Knowing Keith, he would probably want to confront Lotor for sure about him and Lance. It was the last thing everyone needed, especially the prince.

Still he found himself wanting to do something for Lance. Though the more logical part of his brain was more interested in telling him the prince didn’t ask for it. Shiro couldn’t stop but think of ways he could somehow help Lance out. He tried to think of more ways he could try to assist but, he would have to talk to Katie and Matt. It would be nice if they came by tonight that way they could all plan things out together. He was beginning to think that there was no way they could meet with them tonight when there was another knock on his door. Keith opened it and speaking of the pair, Katie and Matt were on the other side looking rather tired. They came in and went straight for the bed, sitting down with much gusto.

“You should have seen how many of Allura’s suitors we kicked out and there is still a ton of them. Before you ask Keith, no, we didn’t get a chance to kick out Lotor.” Katie sighed.

Keith muttered underneath his breath upon hearing about the news. Shiro was impressed that they were really trying to kick out Lotor. Of course, they didn’t realize just how perfect Lotor can act when he wanted to get something. If they wanted to get rid of him, they were going to have to think of something better than trying to kick him out like the other ones. They needed to think of something else, he was sure that Lotor was more than prepared for all of the eliminating factors. He debated in telling them that part. He was sure they would figure it out without him nudging them in the right direction. He then decided that it would be better to let them to come to that conclusion before saying anything and raising suspicion.

Keith spoke, “He looked so smug when he was talking to Lance, I was so ready to rip that smug look on his face. How was he acting when you guys went to go check on him? I need to know everything, ”

“There really is nothing to say,” Matt began, “We knocked on the door and he opened it without anything but his pants on. He’s…very confident in his physique. He was polite and perfect when we spoke to him, unlike some of Allura’s suitors. I don’t think he knew exactly what was going to happen but it seemed as if he knew something was going on. He seemed too perfect in all of his mannerisms. I wish I could explain it better than that.”

Keith asked, “What should we do? There has to be something we can figure out to get Lance from getting too close to that creep.”

“There is something we can do but I’m not sure all of us can agree to this,” Katie said with a knowing smirk.

The three guys leaned closer to her to listen to what she was about to suggest. Even Shiro was curious; he was surprised they hadn’t mentioned he wasn’t putting in ideas. Still, he felt nervous as to what Katie was going to say. That smirk of hers looked rather off putting and he wasn’t sure if he would be willing to go with whatever she wanted to do. He didn’t know what was going to happen next but he for sure was going to need to kick everyone out soon. It was getting late and he needed to make sure he got all of the sleep he was going to need to prepare for tomorrow. Maybe he should just pretend to be sick so he could hide from Lotor like that. It would be easier.

“I think Shiro should crash the masquerade and sweep Lance off of his feet,” Katie said smugly.

Keith nodded saying, “That’s true, we all know that they both are really good at dancing with one another.”

“They do have a certain kind of connection,” Matt admitted.

Shiro couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They wanted him to go and crash the masquerade and somehow romance the prince, of all people, to dance with him instead of Lotor. None of that made any sense! He had way too many questions about how that would really work if they could pull it off. First of all, he doesn’t have clothes for such an occasion, not that he was thinking of going and actually doing it, it was just a passing thought. There was no way he could manage to get an outfit and go to the ball, steal Lance away from Lotor, dance with him and be romantic. It was too much and they just had to know that.

Shiro cleared his throat, “I don’t think that’s a well thought out idea to be honest with you. I think we should come up with something else that won’t be so scandalous for Lance. Plus, I don’t recall anyone other than the suitors to be invited to the masquerade.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Katie said, “since Lance didn’t get enough suitors, they are opening up the Masquerade to all eligible people in the kingdom. So you are eligible to go. There shouldn’t be any problems in getting you one of the invitations. Honestly Shiro, didn’t you consider that I have thought of everything by now?”

Keith nodded, “If anyone has done their homework, it’s going to be Pidge. Now all we have to worry about is getting his outfit ready. As far as I know, Shay is busy with a lot of work for the Masquerade. I don’t know anyone else who is good at making outfits like Shay. Maybe you both could sneak to the nearby village and check out the seamstresses there? It’s not like you both haven’t done it before. The only thing is that I can’t go with you. I’m being watched like a hawk. I really had to be sneaky to get over here,”

“Whoa, how are you going to get back?” Matt asked.

That was also something Shiro wanted to know. He couldn’t even bring Lance back to his room in fear of getting caught with the prince. Keith had to be fearless and that was not mentioning how he was going to get back into his room. Looking at the time, Shiro knew he was going to have to get some sleep soon or else he wasn’t going to wake up in time. But something stopped him from kicking the three guests out of his room. Even though their plan wasn’t going to work out because there was so many holes they hadn’t patched up, he was interested to hear how they were going to do it. He probably shouldn’t have been too intrigued by it because they were talking about him going to the ball and romancing Lance. It was a silly plan that was never going to work. Lance would have to have feelings for him in the first place, which was impossible. 

Keith said, “If I could manage to sneak out, I can sneak back in. I’m not too worried about it. The main person I don’t want to see is Lotor. Because he will most definitely bring it up though we’re not after the same sibling.”

“That’s stupid,” Katie said before adding, “If you want us to sneak out and go to the village, that won’t be a problem. Matt and I can go in and out with no one noticing us. Everyone is going to be too busy with the challenges that are going to be posed to the suitors to really care what we’re going to do.”

They talked longer trying to full in all of the holes in their plan. The only thing that they couldn’t figure out was how Shiro’s outfit for the Masquerade was going to get made. Shiro simply shrugged and said he couldn’t think of anyone. Which was a lie, he knew several people in the village that made beautiful clothes. He figured they were going to be busy making outfits for other people. He didn’t want to give them more work than what they needed. The others had groaned but gotten over it, Matt and Katie were planning on sneaking into the village either way.

The one thing none of them knew was that someone else was listening into their conversation. Yet, this person wanted to help them out and knew just the person to make Shiro’s outfit. They couldn’t help but smile as they walked away into the night. If they had known this person was interested in helping them, they would have been more than happy to have them in on the plan. The man kept walking until he reached a door and knocked gently. Soon, Prince Lance opened the door and looked at the man with surprise. Though it was late, Lance hadn’t slept at all; he had been worried about everything that had happened. He wondered what plans Lotor had for all of them and for the kingdom. But still, the prince looked up at this man and smiled at him brightly.

“Coran, what’s going on?” He asked albeit a little tired.

Coran replied simply with, “You have to hear what I just heard.”

Shiro was finally glad to be by himself as soon as the others left. He got ready for bed and relaxed into the bed. He closed his eyes and drifted into one of the best sleeps of his life. Not knowing that Coran and Lance were up and having a conversation. No, he was busy going to sleep and getting the rest that the man deserved. The next morning he woke up early, knowing that it was time to get ready for a new day. He felt so refreshed and rejuvenated that he couldn’t help but smile. Though he was going to try his best and hide from Lotor, he was still going to have a great day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooh! I wonder what Lance and Coran are doing, You'll see in the next coming chapter! See you soon!


	13. The Plan Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> I'm so sorry this took so long to be posted. I was on a much needed vacation before school starts in September. But now I am ready and willing to give you all this chapter. This chapter was fun because a lot of the secrets are revealed I love that so much. I can't wait for you all to read it so here it is!
> 
> Enjoy!

Lance hadn’t been enthusiastic about choosing Lotor as one of his suitors, but he didn’t really have an option. For some reason his family didn’t patronize him for his choice, they weren’t even surprised. He had expected Allura to tell him something but she hadn’t. Instead, she asked him about Keith and why he presented him to her. Lance didn’t understand why that was a bigger deal than Lotor coming in and becoming his suitor. But he supposed they were going to build up to that eventually. He was still confused about everything, yet he tried not to let it get to him. He needed to distract himself. Luckily, no one was going to blink twice at the prince to go to the royal archives again, this time alone. He didn’t know what he was going to find, not that he really cared, and anything would have been okay. 

Today, Lance decided that he was going to look at the taxes they had saved; the most recent tax records were still with the king in his office, which was fine. He didn’t need to worry about those, he was curious about the past. His sister was right about one thing, when in doubt, it was wise to look in the archives. He scrolled through the taxes and found what he was looking for: Shirogane. Their taxes were normal for people of their status. He read the information for all of their years of filing taxes. It ended when Shiro’s mom married Zarkon that was when Lance passed to Lord Zarkon’s taxes. By first glance, they looked normal; until he had noticed over the years his revenue was fluctuating. Which was strange, he looked at other nobleman and their revenue was relatively steady compared to Lord Zarkon. It was suspicious enough for the prince to click to find more stuff about Zarkon.

Now this kind of information was not made public, when enough was gathered, the information collected would be sent to the king for review and release to the people. Lance wasn’t surprised that the kingdom’s knights were doing an investigation on Lord Zarkon, only certain knights had clearance at this stage. He learned the main investigative knight’s passcode that day he was working for his father. He was glad he memorized things so easily, if not he would be in trouble. Looking at over the notes, Lance was surprised and disgusted at the same time. It spoke about the fluctuations with his money and also about underground fighting, which was very much illegal in Altea. Then it said something that made Lance’s hair stand up. It talked about Shiro not being dead but instead, at the time being, was a fighter called ‘The Champion’. The notes after that mentioned that Shiro was probably forced into it because he seemed reluctant and then they last saw him running away in the dead of night. 

Lance couldn’t believe what he was reading, Shiro, the man who was gentle with horses and was very nice to him had been a fighter in the underground. Then, his mind went back to that one night in the pub when that guy didn’t want to leave him alone. After Shiro confronted him, the man recognized him but Shiro had played it off. Now thinking back, Shiro looked worried that day, after he convinced the man to leave, he almost looked scared. Lance hadn’t thought anything about it; he figured he had been worried for him. But that wasn’t it, he knew that now, Shiro had been worried and scared because he might get caught. If he got discovered then Zarkon would have found him. All of that wanted to make Lance run to Shiro and promise him that he would keep him safe from them. He knew he couldn’t do that, there was a chance that Lotor would follow him and then find out about Shiro. He had to make sure that Lotor never saw the other man at all.

He left the archives after awhile of taking some notes for reference. He wanted to remember everything he had read. So far, he learned more than enough to bring it up to his father and to have him arrested. But he needed some time to gather more information; he would just have to wait telling his father about this. He hoped he was making the right choice in not saying anything right now. Lance wanted to help Shiro and get rid of Lotor but in order to do that he needed more proof like a confession or something of the sort. He knew he would never get that if he simply kicked Lotor out. As much as Lance hated it he was going to have to play a game with Lotor, even if the scary part about this plan was the chance of Lotor winning. 

At dinner, things were different, his sister and father looked rather uneasy. He would have asked what was going on, but he too was distracted with what he had learned today. He sighed once again at his food, causing his family to look even more uneasy than before. Though he didn’t notice or pay attention to anything they were doing until his sister cleared her throat. She looked surprisingly pale, her lips were pursed and he was curious as to why his sister was acting in such a way. He frowned, knowing well that this conversation was going to get him upset by the way his sister was acting with him.

“Brother,” She began, “There is something I must confess to you.”

He nodded and she continued, “Well, I made sure to send an invitation to Lotor to become a suitor and I also knew he would plan to be yours. I should have told you that it was all part of a plan I have but I didn’t want to worry you about something that I could solve on my own.”

“And what is the plan you have that you’ve failed to tell me?” He asked calmly.

She said, “I had found a loophole. Which is I need to marry, but once I get Parliament’s approval, you wouldn’t need to get married if you didn’t want to.”

Lance put down his utensils and looked up at his sister with a silent rage. Here he was this, entire time thinking that he needed to get a suitor to marry, when his sister decided that she wanted to look for a loophole and didn’t even bother telling him. So he got stuck with Lotor, whom she invited and knew was going to ask him to be his suitor. He didn’t like this one bit. Allura could have told him what the plan was, but no, no one told him anything! Now it explained why his sister and father were so skittish around him lately. They really needed to be after what they had planned without his knowledge. 

“Please tell me you’re kidding, please tell me that what you’re saying is a lie and you didn’t just let me take Lotor as a suitor for a plot that may or may not work,” He said.

Allura looked down before saying, “I’m sorry brother.”

Lance said nothing else as he stood up and left the dining room, ignoring the calls from his father, sister and mother. He wasn’t sure if his mother had known something or not, he was going to have to ask her once he calmed down enough. Either way he felt betrayed by his family, he couldn’t believe what his sister had told him. He made a face, wondering why they decided to not tell him about what was going on. It honestly hurt him; he thought he was old enough by now to know things that his family was plotting. He wanted to go talk to someone but he chose to retreat into his quarters, it was his refuge. He was going to need time to think about what had happened and how he was going to respond tomorrow. If Lotor noticed there was some distance between him and his family, he knew the other man would be there to say something about it. 

The moment Lance got into his quarters; he went into his room and crashed on the bed. A part of him wanted to cry but he held back the tears, not wanting to let it out in such a way. He still wanted to talk to someone but there was no one he could think about seeing. There was no telling if Lotor was having him followed or not, he couldn’t risk going to see Shiro or any of his other friends. Even Keith sounded like a good person to talk to but he couldn’t see him. It would look way too suspicious. Finally, he settled on the one thing he could do, he could take a nap. Maybe after that he would feel better.

Try as much as he would like, rest would not come to him. He tossed and turned on his bed until he got frustrated enough to get out of bed and do something else. He tried everything to get tired, from reading the most boring book he could think of to going to the archives again. Nothing could get him tired, though on the bright side he was able to rebuild a lot of Shiro’s family history. The earliest Shirogane he was able to find was also around the time Lance could trace his family origins from too. As fascinating as it was it still didn’t help him sleep at night. He was worried, as he walked back to his room, thinking about what Lotor’s plan really was. He also thought of apologizing to Keith for going to the archives without him more than once. He was sure the knight was going to be upset with him for that.

What alerted him were the knocks on his door. He knew it wasn’t any of his family, they had to have been heading to bed at this time. He also knew it wasn’t his friends because they didn’t knock that softly, ever. Which only meant two things, it was another servant or it was someone else entirely. He was hoping that it wasn’t who he was thinking- Lotor. He walked tentatively to the door and opened it, praying it was neither his family nor Lotor. Luckily, he looked up in surprise, while relaxing into a smile at Coran. 

He asked, “Coran, what’s going on?”

“You have to hear what I just heard,” Coran replied with urgency.

Nodding, Lance let the advisor inside his rooms after making sure that no one was following the man. Once inside, they sat down on the couches. Coran looked at him worriedly, probably concerned if the prince had been sleeping well. The answer would have been no, he hadn’t been sleeping at all. He was upset with his family, upset with Lotor and everything else about this suitor thing. He knew that if he didn’t get any sleep tonight then things weren’t going to go well for him tomorrow. Yet, he was also curious about what the advisor had heard. He wanted to know what was so urgent that the man had run to his rooms to tell him. 

Then Coran began to speak about a plot that Keith, Pidge, Matt, and Shiro had come up with to keep Lance from choosing Lotor in the end. By each word that was said, the wider the prince’s eyes became. A part of him wanted to know what was going on yet he was shocked by everything that he heard. Keith wanted Shiro to go to the Masquerade and sweep Lance off his feet? He didn’t know what to think about that idea. Though it was better than the Lotor option, he was still unsure if this plan would work. What about Shiro? What were his thoughts about this? Did he actually want to do it or was he just saying that to keep the others happy? 

Thinking about Shiro had his mind going crazy. What if Shiro didn’t want to do this? Reversely, what if he did? Lance didn’t know why his heart was beating fast at the thought of Shiro wanting to help him like this. He had no limits of bloodlines like Allura did. He was just the second prince. He wanted to smile but refrained from doing so. He bit his lower lip in thought; there was a lot to think about, especially since Shiro was involved. He didn’t get why that was so important to him but he wanted to help them in any way he can without them knowing about it. And he knew exactly he was going to use to help him make sure that was possible. 

Lance stood up and walked over to a nearby window, leaving Coran seated. He pretended that it was only him in the room, and smiled. This was his plan and he wasn’t going to share it with anyone. Especially not his family, with how mad he was with them, he didn’t want them to know anything about this. They might try to talk him out of it but what choice did he have? They forced his hand without telling him their plan. He made a face at the memory of that, no, that wasn’t going to happen again. He turned to Coran, carrying himself regally, something he didn’t like to do but it was necessary for the moment. He wanted to convey things to him perfectly.

“Coran, I want you to help them in any way you can. I don’t care how, but you have to be involved with everything they do. Whether you do it in secret or not, it matters nothing to me. Just get it done and report to me if there are any hiccups, I want this to go as smoothly as possible,” He said. 

Coran nodded and bowed his head, “Of course, your majesty. There was one thing they brought up which might interest you. That is clothing; they’re trying to look for a seamstress to help them find clothing for Shiro to wear as well as a mask. They didn’t want to use Shay because she was busy trying to get everything else ready.”

“Then that’s your ticket in, find someone willing to make the outfit, no matter what price, I will pay for it myself if I have to,” Lance said.

Coran nodded again and stood up to leave, the man needed to get rest before embarking on his endeavor tomorrow. Lance had to get up early as well, thus, they parted ways. The prince could hardly wait to see just how this was all going to unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I wanted to do for this chapter was for Lance to know what was going on so he can make the choices best for him. Plus, him being in on the plan in the previous chapter really wasn't a surprise to you all but I think his reaction will be. I'll be seeing you all in two weeks time. That will be my first week of classes so wish me luck!


	14. Coran's Way In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I'm here, as lovely as ever, with a new chapter for you. I know I say this all of the time but this chapter was so fun to write. I got to write for Coran and that was the best. Also imagining the mice as ring bearers for the wedding was pretty cute too. School has started for me but I think I found the perfect schedule for me to do my stuff. So that means you get more chapters. Now without further adeiu, enjoy!

Shiro had a feeling of something was going on when he noticed that Coran had been talking to him lately. Things like this didn’t bother him normally. He would welcome this kind of friendliness if it didn’t seem random enough to be suspicious. He really did like Coran, he was a funny man for sure, but the casualness of their conversations was odd. Unfortunately he was the only one thinking this, when he asked Matt and Katie, the both of them didn’t seem bothered by Coran. In fact, they thought it was hilarious that Shiro was bringing it up in the first place. They told him what others already told him when he first got here: Coran was just a friendly person and he just liked to talk to everyone. Shiro had nodded to them like he did to the other servants and went about his work.

Allura’s suitors had been going through so much since they got there. It seemed like with every contest that more and more suitors were dismissed. Keith was so persistent that no matter what the contest entailed, he managed to make it through every round with no problem. Shiro couldn’t help but smile at that when he saw one of the tests. He recalled Allura was very surprised and looking at Keith with some unknown emotion. It was also the first time he saw Keith smiling, which was rather strange to see on his usual stoic face. He recalled Lance losing his composure and cheering for Keith. Shiro loved it when Lance was happy like that. There was something about the prince looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world. It always made his heart flutter at the sight, though he would never admit it to anyone, not even himself.

Which was probably why he was at the lake with his horse, looking at the water and sighing, confused about what he was feeling when it came to the prince. He shook his head and tried not to think about Lance, his blue eyes, his smile, his laughter, and his personality. There was no way he could have a chance at winning the prince. Because as much as Keith was doing great in those contests, Lotor was also doing his best and was still around. If it was up to Lotor the two of them would have never met because he would have married Allura. He still didn’t understand why the man chose Lance, he hated the young prince with a passion. It scared him to know there could be something he was planning that involved Lance. He was going to need to stop worrying about it if he wanted to focus on other things.

The lake was supposed to relax him but instead of doing that, it only made him think of the prince. He really needed to get him out of his head. Why was he thinking of him anyway? There was nothing between them, and even if it were there was no way Lance would even think of him that way. That’s why he thought the plan was going to be a bust. Lance was just nice to people, that’s why he was good to Shiro when he didn’t have to be. But as he kept thinking about it, while the rest of the royal family was nice to him, they didn’t exactly put an effort to be friendly to him like Lance did. Shiro’s reasoned that since the prince already had friends, like Hunk and Katie, of course he was going to be nice to him too. Though he knew that it wasn’t the actual reason, he liked to pretend it was.

He was too distracted to notice someone was with him. It wasn’t until he felt an arm on his shoulder that he jumped up, turned around and was about to hit the person when he noticed it was Coran. Coran, on the other hand, didn’t look shocked at all, almost as if he was expecting it. He smiled at a confused Shiro and respectfully got out of the man’s grip. Shiro, needless to say, was surprised that Coran didn’t freak out yet also was wondering why he wasn’t. Did he know something that no one else did? What if he knew about him being ‘The Champion’? What if he told King Alfor or Lance? He could never forgive himself if that were to happen.

“Shiro, my boy,” he began, “Are you sure you don’t want to be a knight? You have reflexes for it, one word to Alfor from me and you could be a knight. You could be Lance’s knight.”

Shiro didn’t bother to even make a reaction to that, “I like tending to the horses, Coran, but thanks for the offer. How did you find me?”

“Lance told me where I could find you. I figured you weren’t going to mind too much if you had me for company. Do you mind if I sit next to you? It was a long walk,” Coran asked.

Shiro complied and nodded, making sure there was more than enough room for Coran to sit. His horse was drinking water. Everything was serene once he finally got out of his head. What he was surprised about was how the heck did Coran make it all the way over here just by walking? He was never going to understand the man, he was weird in his own way but he could also be very serious. He figured this conversation was going to be one of those serious ones. It wasn’t a secret that Coran was protective of the prince, everyone knew that, Shiro knew it was bound to happen he got a visit from the man. He wasn’t going to press it for right now. He would bring things up when Coran was ready to do so. For now they both enjoyed the scenery, until the older man broke the silence. 

“I happened to overhear Keith, Matt, Katie and you talk about sneaking you into the ball,” He said. 

Well, if there was any way to drop a bomb that was definitely one of the ways to do it. Shiro paled, not bothering to turn over and look at the man next to him. Instead his mind went on panic mode. He was probably going to get fired now, wasn’t he? Maybe that’s why Coran was here. Perhaps he was the one the King would send to deliver the bad news. He kept his breathing steady as he tried to think about any way to explain himself.

He sighed, “Yes we were planning that. I didn’t even want to participate at first but it felt wrong to let the prince settle for Lotor. Don’t ask me why but I don’t trust him, especially around the prince.”

He let his words sink in, he hadn’t expected to be as honest as he was. Still, he stood by what he was saying. He would never want Coran to think he would claim innocence while condemning the others. He was more than willing to take the fall for all of them if he could. He didn’t know how much the mustachioed man knew, but he knew that he had to do something about it. He couldn’t help but think about what was going to happen to him. Perhaps he was going to get fired, that would be reasonable. He would probably have to pack what little he brought with him and try to find another job that didn’t have him crossing ways with Zarkon and Lotor. He would try his best to forget about the palace and everyone in it, especially Lance. Just the sheer thought of it had Shiro felling horrible, there was no way he could forget about the prince, even if he tried. 

“Now, now, do not fret Shiro! I only brought it up because I want to help you achieve your goal of getting the prince with you instead of Lotor,” Coran said.

What?

So Coran didn’t come to fire him but instead came to help him? What was this world coming too? He turned to face the man who was simply smiling at him as if there was nothing wrong. Maybe there really wasn’t anything wrong and it was Shiro being the worrywart he was. He couldn’t help but think things would turn bad, living with Zarkon made him that way. He would have preferred if Coran didn’t scare the daylights out of him when it came to telling him he was on his side. It probably was Coran’s way of being himself and though he should celebrate others being themselves, he was afraid for his job when Coran did that crap.

“You know, Coran, there might have been another way for you to tell me that,” He said softly, hiding his annoyance. 

Coran didn’t say anything, simply laughed and patted the man on the shoulder. Shiro didn’t understand what was funny about what he said but he decided not to question it. He figured Coran would have been more than happy to do whatever he wanted. He did have a lot of privileges, thanks to King Alfor. He didn’t know what else to do or say to Coran, surely he should tell the others that the man wanted to help them out when it came to Lance. The others might have been confused but, they might have finally agreed that something strange was going on this week when Coran was acting strange around him. Or, everyone would simply ignore him, not believing the king’s right hand man would want to do anything to help them. He had a plan to see if he was really going to help like he had hoped he would.

Shiro said “Well, if you know about the plan… you must know we’re having a problem in finding someone who could make me an outfit at such a last minute. If you want to help, we could use a hand with that.”

“Leave it to me, my boy, I’ll find someone to make something perfect for you,” Coran replied.

The walk back was different. He was still with Coran, who was still talking about random things. It made the walk easier, at least Shiro had something to distract himself from his thoughts. Unlike others, the man next to him didn’t question him about his life or even how he grew up. He was surprised but at the same time, he was relieved. He didn’t want to bring up a lie or talk about when he was really small and it was just his mother and him. Not that it was painful to think about, he cherished his memories of his mother dearly. It was the having to lie about things and not telling the truth about Zarkon that had him feeling bad. But talking about Zarkon meant talking about himself as an underground fighter. Though he should be a bit braver than he was, he wasn’t ready to kiss his newly found freedom goodbye. He wanted to enjoy it just a little more.

When the pair made it to the palace grounds, they parted ways. Shiro went to but the horse back and check on Brutus who was looking rather lonely now that the prince hadn’t been coming over. He had no one to give him sugar cubes and apples anymore. If he didn’t cause him so many problems, Shiro might have felt a little sorrier for the animal. After feeding the horse two apples, he wished the horse a good night before heading to the dining hall for himself. With everything that had been on his mind, he hadn’t thought about eating. So he wasn’t surprised when the moment he walked into the dining hall and smelled the food, that he felt famished. Once he got a plate, he sat down with the group, minus Keith and Hunk this time, Shay appeared to be saddened by missing her fiancé. He honestly didn’t blame her, he would miss his loved one too.

The conversation among them all was easy. The most favorite topic was about the suitors and who was out and who was still in. The most recent one had to do with Allura’s mice, the test was to see who could stand being in the same room as the mice the longest. Some of the men ran at the sight of them, while Keith had pet them and even played with them and didn’t come out until someone went to get him out of the room. Needless to say, Keith had come out victorious and he was very proud of himself. Allura hadn’t been surprised that he was able to stand the mice but apparently she had been impressed by the fact he had given them a bath. That was the first time she had shown him (or anyone) some type of favoritism by offering him a token, her favorite scarf.

Shiro smiled when he heard that, he wanted Keith to be happy, to find the love of his life, and with Allura that might just be possible. He couldn’t help but think about how lovely their wedding would be. No doubt Lance would be Keith’s best man, but he entertained the idea about the mice being a part of that wedding and he failed to hold back the chuckle he had been trying to hide. The others turned to him with questioning glances but, once he explained what he was thinking, everyone else started to chuckle. Katie said she was going to tell Keith when she saw him next time to see what he was going to think about the mice being a part of the wedding. She was even going to suggest making them the ring bearers to which Shay said she could make them little dresses and suits. That was when everyone really began to laugh. The other servants around them might have been sending them looks but they didn’t care, it was a good idea.

Matt decided to change the subject, “So Shiro, have you had any weird Coran moments?”

Shiro was about to tell him about what happened today when the man followed him to the lake. Finally they were going to see that he wasn’t being paranoid. But going by the looks on their faces, he decided that he was going to keep that to himself. It would be better to surprise them all than say something that they weren’t going to believe anyway.

“No I haven’t,” He said, “Perhaps you’re right about me over thinking things. Oh, and I figured out what to do about the outfit situation.”

The three of them stared in shock. Shay, who had been told the plan by Katie had thought she was going to need to make an outfit for Shiro, on top of everything else. She couldn’t help but relax knowing she didn’t need to make something for him too. She smiled and wondered who Shiro had found. Katie and Matt were trying to figure that out but neither of them got any close from getting that information out from Shiro. He kept silent even when they all went either back to work or in for the night. 

In bed, Shiro couldn’t help but smile that he had something he could keep to himself if he chose. Perhaps he would tell everyone about what happened between him and Coran later. He was sure they were all going to be surprised, especially Lance. He tried his best to imagine Lance’s shocked face that Coran had helped him with this plan. Of course Lance was going to be surprised. It wasn’t like he knew about the plan or anything. 

If only he knew the truth…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you all are wondering if were ever going to get out of this and go to the actual ball chapters and I can reassure you that yes we will. Just hold on and we will get there.Thank you so much for reading and I will see you next week!


	15. Keith and Allura Sitting in A Tree...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!   
> I'm keeping the updates every other week because school is stressful and I can work on the fic at an easy pace. I hope you all don't mind. I hope you all are doing okay. This chapter gives us a mini break from the action and kind of more a look into the life of Keith and his relationship with everyone else. So here you go! Have fun reading.   
> Enjoy!

Keith wasn’t having it easy like everyone was probably thinking he was. It had taken everything in his power to not give up. He didn’t think Princess Allura had even thought of him as someone other than her knight until the day she gave him a token. He could see the judging glares from the remaining men. He didn’t care about them. If she picked another suitor it would mean she would marry a stranger, so what he cared about the most was making sure the princess would give him a chance. 

At least this way, it wouldn’t be like she was marrying a complete stranger and Keith knew all about her, her mannerisms, and the things she did when she thought no one was looking. For example, the way she would scrunch her nose when something or someone she didn’t like was around, like when she saw some of the first suitors and Lotor. The only reason he had so much hope was because she didn’t scrunch her nose at him… There was also the way she looked at Lance when he was in front of his suitor. He could tell that she was proud of her little brother and the way he handled things. He also noticed how sad she was when he began not talking to her, he could tell it broke her heart and seeing her like that also broke his.

Other than that, he still freaked out about his room or his new clothes. He was used to a knight’s status not this nobility life. His clothes, though not hard to put on, were way too fancy for his tastes. Maybe it just was going to take some time to get used to it, like Lance had said. He didn’t know what to do at the best of times; at the most he just watched the others and did what they did and prayed for the best. Usually it worked out. Otherwise he would end up getting laughed at, mostly by Lotor. He was the biggest asshole he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. It was a wonder that he had friends. Perhaps the others were simply intimidated so they didn’t say anything to him.

That was one thing Keith didn’t understand why the others were afraid of him. Lotor might have been strong looking but that didn’t mean anything. Keith didn’t look that strong but he was still a knight that got to protect the princess. Of course, he knew better than to say anything to anyone, especially to Lotor, he would rather let his strength do the talking. He knew there was something fishy going on when it came to that man. Keith was desperate to figure it out, before something happened to Lance. He had a feeling that things wouldn’t end well if Lance kept up this charade with Lotor. He would have spoken to Allura about it but if he went to her rooms, it would have looked suspicious. Despite all of the things he could want he would never embarrass the princess like that.

Their dinner that night was one of the lasts ones before the ball, where Allura would choose her suitor. His seat tonight was closer to the royal family, right next to Lance. It was easy to copy the prince because he was never going to lead him wrong, at least, not in front of everyone. While they were eating, Lance and he began to talk to one another about what was going on. According to Lance things were okay; he went to archives and had some information he wanted to share with him. Not that he was going to tell him what it was until later on, where they could meet in secret. Keith supposed they might have looked too close for Lotor’s comfort, since the bastard felt the need to say something.

“Oh my, could it be that Countess Krolia’s son is trying to get two members of the royal family at once? Is one not enough for you, Keith?” Lotor asked lightly.

Before Keith could even think of answer, Lance spoke up, “Is it wrong for Keith and I to have a conversation? I was the one who sponsored him in the first place. Though I have to say, Lotor, jealously does not look good on you. Nor on anyone who is trying to convince me to marry them.”

There was silence in the room. Lance kept his eyes on Lotor, as if waiting for one of them to give in first. Keith was impressed with Lance and how he responded to that. He knew the prince had a backbone but he had never seen it before. He almost wanted to clap but he held himself back from doing so. He turned to Lotor and he could tell the man wasn’t happy being told off by Lance. He didn’t know if it was because Lotor didn’t like being told off or because Lance was standing up for himself. Either way, it didn’t look good on his end. Soon the other suitors were murmuring among one another. It caused Lotor to break eye contact first which was funny on his part. He could almost hear the cursing Lotor was thinking when he realized what he did.

“My sincere apologies your highness,” Lotor finally said, “It won’t happen again.”

Lance nodded and replied, “See that it doesn’t.”

The look on Lotor’s face when Lance said that was priceless. Lance didn’t bother looking up at him; he focused on his dinner and small talk with Keith. Never once did he bother to look at the other man for the rest of the night. Keith didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, all he knew that Lotor was seething in his seat and Lance couldn’t find himself to be bothered by it. Keith couldn’t wait to tell Shiro what he had seen Lance do. He wanted to smile but he chose not to. He didn’t want Lotor to think that he was laughing at him. For being such a prominent person in society, then why did he have to take everything so personal? Not even Lance took things that seriously and that was because he was a very emotional guy.

Keith went back to his dinner, occasionally talking to Lance which seemed to piss off Lotor more. Unfortunately there wasn’t much the noble could do about it. If no one could tell, Lance didn’t think too highly about this still. But he was much more brutal about it, considering the only suitor left for him was Lotor. He had dismissed Ezor not too long ago, they both didn’t seem to mind as much about it. Which was strange, considering that she was his suitor, Keith figured she would be more torn up about it. Either way, it wasn’t any of his business, so he didn’t see why he should care about that. Still, it was a tad bit suspicious to him. He wanted to know why it made him so suspicious of the girl, but, he couldn’t do anything about it now. 

After dinner, Allura asked him to escort her around the gardens before bed. The other suitors glared at him, to which he had deflected with ease. They walked out together and then Allura did the strangest thing and dismissed the guards, Keith wasn’t going to stop her from doing so. If she really wanted to talk to him privately then they were going to. First, Allura was stone faced, not saying anything at all, simply walking around the gardens. Suddenly she turned to Keith and he couldn’t help but stay alert when she did so. He stood at attention when she turned to him yet, instead of lowering his gaze like he used to, he still stared at her in the eyes.

“How’s Lance?” She asked.

That was not the question he was expecting to receive. He kept his composure and remembered that Prince Lance was still not talking to his family. This was the first time the prince had done so. Though it was long overdue with all of the plans they were making for him, he was sure Allura was devastated her little brother not speaking to her. He wanted to comfort her without giving away all of the things Lance had mentioned when they looked in the archives. Just because he wasn’t her knight anymore, it didn’t mean he owed her everything.

He replied, “He’s fine, princess. He’s fairing quite well in spite of certain things that were going on.”

She looked relieved when he said that, it made him happy that he could help her feel better. He wanted to say more to comfort her but he held back. It wasn’t his business to tell her that her little brother misses her just as much as she does. Though he thought that Lance should start to talk to his family again, if anything than to get support from them, it wasn’t his place to tell him so. He waited for Allurs to say something else but he couldn’t help but stare at her. She was breathtaking to gaze at, he wished he could stare at her like this for the rest of his life but the chances of that happening were still low. She might have given him a token but that didn’t mean she was in love with him.

“I’m glad that my little brother is doing okay. It’s been awhile since he’s spoken to us. Father is worried about him and so is Mother but it’s hard to express it when your loved one is purposely ignoring you. I’m also worried for him but I don’t want to force myself in,” She paused before saying, “I’m sorry Keith, I shouldn’t drag you into this. I know Lance is supporting you through this, I hope he didn’t force you into this suitor business. He can be very forceful when he wants to be.”

Keith shook his head, “Of course he didn’t force me. I wanted to be here, especially once I figured out that my mother was Countess Krolia. You’ve- well, you are very important and I’ve been with you for years but- I think we could be happy together.”

There it was, he finally said it. It might not have said ‘I love you’, (he would need some time for that) but, in his defense, he tried his hardest to say it and if that’s what came out, then he was going to be very happy about it. He looked down at his feet, shuffling and trying hard not to look up and see her face. He didn’t want to see the disdain in her eyes just yet. When he finally had the courage to look up he saw fondness in her eyes. It struck him that perhaps she had the same feelings for him. It might have been hard to believe but still here she was with a small smile on her face.

“Oh Keith, you’ve always been important to me too, I just want you to know that. At first I thought Lance forced you to do this so I tried to keep my distance. But watching you pass every test… I figured it wasn’t the case but I needed to hear it from you too,” She said.

She leaned in closer and he could hardly believe it this was happening. Not that he thought they were ever going to kiss. He didn’t know what was going to happen, if he was being very honest. She could easily slap the crap out of him. Either way, he felt like he was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. This was either going to be the best or worst moment of his life. The adrenaline was running though him; he felt so many things and nothing at the same time. He glanced at the princess and he could tell she was as lost as he was on what to do next. But he could also tell that she was lost in thought, on what to say next. He didn’t want to stop her from talking. He could listen to her all day if he had the chance. 

“If I had to choose someone to marry tonight, I’m sure I would choose you,” She said softly.

He gazed into her eyes and said, “Really? You would choose me?”

“Of course I would. Keith, you were always more than just a knight to me, you are also someone that knows me inside and out. I can tell you my secrets and know that you are going to keep them, I trust you wholeheartedly and that’s not something I can say to just anyone,” She said.

Which was true, she didn’t trust easily, she even kept parts of herself and secrets from her own family. The fact she could say she to that amount, was an enormous compliment from her. He glanced at the flowers below them and then glanced up at her again. Every time he did that, he couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she was. But she was more than her beauty. She was a sweet person inside and out, she cared for her family, especially her little brother Lance. She did her best to protect him with all she had, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. He recalled several nights where she would be up trying to figure out how to plan everything out to make sure Lance had a chance for a happier life than what she was condemned to. Now, at least, she had a chance to get a happy ending.

This time he wasn’t afraid of what was going to happen. He pulled her close to him and kissed her on the lips. He wasn’t surprised when she reciprocated the kiss but he was rather happy she did. He could feel the adrenaline pumping his heart faster and faster. It was forever and not enough time when they finally pulled away from one another. Allura looked down at her skirts and then excused herself. Keith watched her walk off to her rooms. She kept glancing back at him every so often; he couldn’t help but smile every time she did. He lingered in the gardens for a moment before going the long way back to the quarters. 

Not to be as dramatic as Lance, but if he could die right now, he would die a very happy man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wasn't a cliffhanger I promise. The next one is on Allura's point of view and perhaps a change of heart too. Curious? Well you'll see it the week after next! Have a great rest of your week and remember you are loved and valid.


	16. K-I-S-S-I-N-G

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> I'm having a great time in college as are most of you I bet. The time for projects due is up again so here I am with projects looming in the corners of my mind while i'm writing fanfiction. Also I got another plot bunny for another fic from another fandom into but I promise I will finish this story first before I post any new stories. So don't worry, I love you guys and I want to keep this going. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Allura was still in shock that Keith had actually kissed her. Not that she doubted he didn’t have the guts to do it, she knew he did, but the fact he did it was shocking nevertheless. She was going to head to her room but her remaining thoughts lingered to Lance. Perhaps she could go to him, he might still be mad at her but she needed to talk to someone and she didn’t want her father or mother finding out about this. Plus, Lance would be pleased that she had chosen his pick for her. He might even consider talking to her again. That would make her entire night. Hastily, she went to his door and knocked softly and waited. Soon, the door opened and there was her brother, his night clothes, with one perfectly shaped eyebrow up.

“Keith kissed me!” She said trying not to yell too loud. 

Her brother’s eyes went big and suddenly he smiled and hugged her before he ushered her inside his room. She smiled, glad her brother had accepted her in, but that didn’t mean all of the problems were magically solved. No, she was still going to have to talk out her issues with Lance. She at least owed her little brother that much. 

Lance turned to her excitedly, “You have to tell me all about it. We should do a celebratory face mask! That will lighten things up a bit. ”

He was rummaging through his supplies as he was searching for the right face mask. She always thought it was funny that he had so many products while she hardly had any. But that was her little brother and she loved him for it. She waited for what seemed like a long time, before Lance finally found the masks he wanted to use. He personally liked the creamy ones over the gel or paper. The one he picked out for her was an anti-stress and honestly that was something she needed, grateful that her brother was so thoughtful. Now, she needed to be honest with him, it was high time that she was.

“Lance, I just want to tell you how sorry I am for doing what I did and not letting you know about it. It was cruel of me,” She said softly. 

She watched Lance try his best to gather his thoughts. Though the way he carried himself was confidently, even now, she could tell he wanted to say something to his sister but refused to do so. It made her nervous but she knew if they were going to reach common ground, she was going to trust him.

He began, “You know, it taught me something and I’m glad for it. Don’t get me wrong, it was messed up sending an invitation to Lotor while knowing he was going to choose me. But I’m over it. I should have started talking to you, Mother, and Father sooner but I didn’t know what to say.”

She nodded, understanding why he would feel that way. She had also done things that took her time to talk with her family afterwards. She watched her brother prepare the mask he was going to put on her. It was a very calming light blue color. He motioned her to come closer to him and pulled her hair back to keep it away from her face as he put some on her cheeks. He chuckled when she flinched at how cold it was. She glared at him playfully as she let her mind relax, closing her eyes and forgetting what was going on around her.

Once he was done she opened her eyes and watched him put on his own face mask. She couldn’t help but be a tad bit jealous of her younger brother. Though she looked like her father and was perceived as perfect, she always thought the better looking between the two of them was Lance. He bore more resemblance to their beautiful mother. She recalled the day he was born, all of the midwives couldn’t help but gush at how perfect their new prince looked. She remembered looking at him and thinking the same thing. He wasn’t a bratty baby; he had a mild temperament and loved his friends. It hurt her when the people began to see him as over emotional, and nothing compared to her. She was sure some of them meant well, but it still bothered her. 

“So? Tell me about kissing Keith!” He pressed her.

She ducked her head and blushed sheepishly, “Well we were out in the gardens and we had a chat. I asked about you, because you seem to have a liking to him. Once he replied, I told him how important to me and he is and he also said how important I am to him. We kept talking about who knows what when suddenly he kisses me! … and then I kissed him back.”

Lance had stayed quiet while he was looking at his sister, his face mask already on and perfect. He had a small smile gracing his face and then he began to laugh. Allura made a face and then looked for a pillow to hit him with. That was when she realized the pillows were all in her brother’s room. Of course he wouldn’t let her have a pillow to hit him with. She huffed and crossed her arms like how she did when she was a kid.

“What’s so funny?” She asked. 

He stopped laughing for a moment, “It’s just funny because you built it up as something romantic and then only to have you both talking before kissing. Where are the fireworks or falling rocks? I was expecting something sappy but it seems I am disappointed.”

“Why would you want to kiss while the rocks are falling? Those things are boiling hot! I wouldn’t want to burn myself while trying to kiss someone,” She reasoned. 

He replied, “I would do it for the aesthetic. I would do it for that gut-wrenching romance that seems to be dying nowadays.”

She rolled her eyes at her brother’s love for the dramatics. Personally she would never want to be outside when the rocks were falling from the sky. Though they weren’t as big as Coran liked to make them seem, more like pebble sized, they still hurt when they fall. Not that she thought her brother was a little idiotic when it came to romance, but sometimes he could be silly. Probably, his want for romance is what added to his charm.

It wasn’t long after that she left his room to her room, to wash out the face mask and to go to sleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow anyway. The ball was approaching faster than what she had anticipated. When Allura finally made it to bed, she heaved a sigh of relief. She couldn’t figure out what her brother was up to, normally he would talk a lot about himself and his plans. But this time he said nothing of the sort. It was clear he didn’t like Lotor if dinner spoke anything of it. She was sure he was bound to have a plan yet he was silent about it during their time together. She didn’t know if it was because he secretly was mad at her or he didn’t have one at all. Which didn’t make any sense to her; he was bound to have a plan. She hoped that he would trust her to free him from this need to marry. She wasn’t sure if he would be willing to wait so long and not do anything about it. Finally after her fretting, she went to sleep.

The next morning, the castle was alive with movement. Though it was true that the castle was lively, it wasn’t usually this lively. In Allura’s opinion, it was still too early to fuss about the ball. One look at her brother and she knew he felt the same way. She smiled at him and when he smiled back, she felt happiness fill her. She looked away from him and focused on Keith, the other boys were teasing him and instead of getting mad, he took it with tact. Plus, Lotor wasn’t picking on him this time so it wasn’t as brutal as the previous night. She had been upset when that had happened but after seeing Lance handle it, she felt more comfortable to tell the man off. He honestly had no reason to say anything like that when everyone knew he wanted her more than her brother. 

Today’s test was dancing. Not that anyone was going to be sent home if they sucked; it would just determine who was a better dancer. Allura started her dance with one of the three men left, some son of a Baron, he was nice and everything but he wasn’t what she was looking for in a partner. He was much too passive. Well, the next guy after him was way too aggressive. She knew Keith was too, he was a trained knight after all, but even then, he wouldn’t try to overpower her. He knew perfectly well that she could take perfectly good care of herself and she had proved it time and time again.

When it was time for her to switch and dance with Keith, she couldn’t help but smile. The moment she touched his hands, she felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. She could tell he felt similar as well. She let Keith lead and he was doing a fairly good job at keeping pace. She saw that he was nervous and that was okay. She was nervous as well and she wanted him to feel comfortable dancing with her. If they were to be married, then they would have to open every single ball with a dance. Of course, she was thinking forward a bit too much about these things, though the moment she would announce the candidate she chose, were going to marry right away. It made her happy knowing it would be Keith; she was excited about the thought of spending the rest of her life with the closest person to her so naturally, basically her best friend. 

Their dance was over too soon in her opinion and she was going to tell the music instructor off when she realized it was just the test. They weren’t dancing for real, she had forgotten all about that when she was dancing with Keith as well as everyone else in the room. She almost flushed when she noticed her brother giving her a knowing look. She rolled her eyes at him as they cleared the floor for him and Lotor. No matter what, she still hoped that Lotor had genuine feelings for her little brother and not just using him. She wouldn’t ever forgive herself if she had let in someone who didn’t care about Lance even a bit. 

Keith stayed with her, while the others left, and she appreciated that. She watched as the music began, Lotor began to lead without giving her brother a chance to even register what was going on. Lance quickly adjusted to the pace and soon they danced immaculate and graceful. She would have thought the dance was perfect if she didn’t notice the look of distaste her brother had on his face. It seemed as well that Lotor was speaking to him and the more he spoke, the more uncomfortable Lance looked. She noticed Keith was making a face but she didn’t ask him why, it was pretty obvious. 

She made herself wait until the dance was finished, after that she could no longer hold herself back from marching over there where the two were finishing their dance. She got in-between the pair of them, getting in front of her little brother and glaring up at Lotor. She didn’t bother to see her brother’s surprised look, too busy looking up at Lotor’s smug face. She wanted to slap that smirk off of his face but Keith was suddenly beside her, holding her shoulders, not letting her get any closer than she already was. For a moment, time froze in place. No one expected Allura to be so angry. She normally handled her emotions pretty well, but she was still shocked that someone had the audacity to touch her brother in such a way. She became known of Keith’s closeness to her only when she began to step closer to Lotor. 

“Just what do you think you are doing to my brother?” She asked, with a bite in her tone. 

Lotor couldn’t be any calmer, he was standing there looking rather unimpressed by the whole situation. It was as if he could care any less of seeing the angered princess. Perhaps it didn’t faze him in the slightest. Keith was also wondering why Lotor was remaining so calm, as if he didn’t care about the consequences. He kept his smug look on his face, looking from Allura to Keith and then finally to Lance. His eyes lingered on Lance longer than they did on anyone else. Lance, meanwhile, kept his defiant eyes on the man.

“I asked you a question!” Allura bellowed.

Lotor chuckled, “My, Princess Allura, I don’t understand what has you so up in arms. As you can see, no harm has befallen your precious little brother. Though I must say, being jealous of the attention your brother is getting isn’t becoming of a princess of your stature. If you’ll excuse me…”

He excused himself after that and Keith held onto to his princess as if for dear life. She asked her brother if he was okay, and he had replied he was. When she asked what was said to him, Lance refused to answer, choosing to look down at the floor than answer his sister. As Lotor was walking away, Allura felt something deep within her heart and a thought was made. 

Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to invite Lotor after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this. What did Lotor say to Lance? Will we find out soon? Well, we'll see next chapter. See you guys then!


End file.
